Chandra Grahan (Lunar Eclipse) 2026 Timings Highlights: Total Lunar Eclipse Over, check out ‘Blood Moon’ pics inside
Chandra Grahan (Lunar Eclipse) 2026 Date and Time, Start and End Timings Today in India LIVE Updates: Lunar Eclipse (Chandra Grahan) will start from 03:20 PM on March 3, 2026 and it will end at 06:47 PM in the evening. The Moon will be visible in India from 06:26 PM and the maximum visibility will begin from 06:33 PM to 06:40 PM.
Chandra Grahan (Lunar Eclipse) 2026 Start and End Time in India LIVE Updates: A significant celestial event is set to take place on March 03, 2026, as a lunar eclipse — known in India as Chandra Grahan — will be observed across parts of the world. Lunar Eclipse will start from 03:20 PM on March 3, 2026 and it will end at 06:47 PM in the evening. The Moon will be visible in India from 06:26 PM and the maximum visibility will begin from 06:33 PM to 06:40 PM. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth moves directly between the Sun and the Moon, causing the Earth’s shadow to fall on the Moon. Depending on the alignment, the eclipse may be penumbral, partial, or total.
For viewers in India, visibility and timing depend on the exact phase of the eclipse and the Moon’s position above the horizon. In this live blog, we are tracking confirmed timings for India, phase-wise details of the eclipse, visibility updates, and important information including whether Sutak kaal will be observed.
Chandra Grahan 2026: Timings in India – Know here
Stay tuned for scientific explanations behind the phenomenon, safety guidance, and key religious and cultural anecdotes aorund Chandra Grahan, and most importantly, verified, real-time updates on Lunar Eclipse 2026!
Stay tuned for #MoonEclipse2026 updates here.
A view of the moon at the top of Jagannath Puri Temple amid Lunar eclipse, in Puri on Tuesday. (ANI Video Grab)
Bhopal: Visitors observe the partial lunar eclipse through telescopes at the Regional Science Centre, in Bhopal, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (PTI Photo)
A view of the lunar eclipse from a temple, in Mahabalipuram on Tuesday. (ANI Photo)
Blood moon during the lunar eclipse in New Delhi on Tuesday. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)
The blood moon shortly after a total lunar eclipse is seen from Guwahati, India, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Blood moon during lunar eclipse in Chandigarh on Tuesday. Express Photo by Kamleshwar Singh
The total lunar eclipse has come to an end. The Moon has completely emerged from Earth’s penumbral shadow and regained its normal full glow. From beginning to end, the entire eclipse spanned 5 hours and 39 minutes.
A "Worm Moon" total lunar eclipse and the High Roller are seen in Las Vegas Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)
A partial lunar eclipse is seen in the night sky over Kolkata, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (PTI Photo)
Telescopes with high-resolution lenses have been set up in a Planetarium for the people to witness the lunar eclipse, in Guwahati on Tuesday. (ANI Video Grab)
A thin, bright sliver of moonlight is beginning to reappear as the lunar disk slowly emerges from the umbra. Though the blood moon is fading, now is a great time to keep watching as the thin silvery crescent glows along one edge. Over the next hour or so, you'll see the crescent grow and sweep across the lunar disk.
Blood red moon seen during the lunar eclipse in Pinole, California, in the early morning hours of March 3, 2026. (Source: AP)
The moon phases take 29.5 days to complete, which means it takes just 354 days to complete 12 lunar cycles. So every 2.5 years or so, a 13th full moon is observed within a calendar year.
This 13th full moon doesn't conform to the normal naming scheme and is referred to as the Blue Moon. The next Blue Moon will occur on May 31, 2026.
This total lunar eclipse will end at 6:46 pm. This year's eclipse will last 3 hours and 27 minutes, with totality lasting 58 minutes.
The longest duration of totality for a lunar eclipse is 107 minutes. This can happen when the moon crosses through the middle of Earth's shadow, when the moon is at or very near apogee, the farthest point in its orbit from Earth. When the moon is near apogee, it is moving more slowly and needs more time to cross our planet's shadow.
The total lunar eclipse of July 16, 2000, which was visible in the Pacific Ocean, eastern Asia and Australia, was one of the longest on record, lasting 106 minutes, 25 seconds. On Aug. 13, 1859, totality lasted three seconds longer
This will be the final total lunar eclipse in a row of three. The first was in March 2025, and the second was is in September 2025. The next total lunar eclipse won’t be until the December 31, 2028 - January 1, 2029 period aka the New Year’s Blood Moon Eclipse.
The Moon’s orbit is tilted about 5 degrees compared to the plane of Earth’s orbit around the Sun. Because of this tilt, the Moon as seen from Earth’s perspective usually passes above or below the Sun when it passes between us and the Sun. The tilt of the Moon’s orbit is the reason why we do not have solar and lunar eclipses every month.
The very first lunar eclipse was recorded on the 19th of March, 721 BC, observed and registered by Babylonian astronomer-scribes. They kept diaries of celestial events in cuneiform writing on tablets of clay.
This is not the only lunar eclipse that will take place this year. 2026 is going to see another one, a partial lunar eclipse slated to take place on August 28, 2026.
Pro Viewing Tips
Lunar Eclipse Visibility in India: NASA notes that a variety of factors affect the appearance of the Moon during a total lunar eclipse. Clouds, dust, ash, photochemical droplets and organic material in the atmosphere can change how much light is refracted into the umbra.
Lunar Eclipse 2026 Date and Time in India: Today's total lunar eclipse coinciding with Holi is indeed a rare cultural-astronomical overlap. Holi, the festival of colours, is celebrated on the full moon day (Purnima) of the Hindu month of Phalguna. Notably, lunar eclipses also occur only on full moons. Such overlaps are rare in India, making this eclipse extra special both astronomically and culturally.
With a radius of about 1,080 miles (1,740 kilometers), NASA explains that the Moon is less than a third of the width of Earth. In fact, if Earth were the size of a nickel, the Moon would be about as big as a coffee bean.
The Moon is an average of 238,855 miles (384,400 kilometers) away. That means 30 Earth-sized planets could fit in between Earth and the Moon. The Moon is slowly moving away from Earth, getting about an inch farther away each year.
Chandra Grahan 2026 Date and Time LIVE: According to NASA, during a total lunar eclipse, the moon appears dark red or orange because our planet blocks most of the Sun’s light from reaching the moon, and the light that does reach the lunar surface is filtered through a thick slice of Earth’s atmosphere. It’s as if all of the world’s sunrises and sunsets are projected onto the Moon.
Here are some interesting facts about Lunar eclipses
*Unlike solar eclipses (visible only in narrow paths), a lunar eclipse can be seen anywhere the Moon is above the horizon at the time. So, observers across India, Asia, Australia, the Americas and parts of Europe all get to witness it.
*Global eclipses data show that the totality lasts 58 minutes, part of a longer phenomena that also includes partial and penumbral phases.
*Today's event is notable because it’s expected to be the last total lunar eclipse visible from Earth until at least late 2028.
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*The Moon turns reddish because Earth’s atmosphere bends (refracts) sunlight into its shadow. Short blue wavelengths scatter out (which is why sunsets look red/orange), while longer red wavelengths reach the Moon and light it up during totality.
* As per past scientific research, monitoring how the Moon’s brightness changes during an eclipse, could reveal details about Earth’s atmospheric composition, aerosols, and scattering effects which helps know more about our atmosphere using celestial shadows.
While today will see a Total Lunar Eclipse where the Moon passes completely into Earth’s central (umbra) shadow, in most parts of India, the Moon rises after the total phase has already begun or even after it has ended. So observers will most likely see the partial or ending stages of the eclipse with the dark shadow on the Moon.
Astronomically, it is a total lunar eclipse, not a partial one. But in many Indian locations, you’ll only see part of it — similar to a partial view at moonrise because the main totality phase happens before the Moon rises fully.
Prominent temples across Uttar Pradesh, including the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi temple and the Vindhyavasini temple in Mirzapur, were closed. The Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust in Varanasi said that as per tradition, the temple gates are closed before the commencement of the eclipse. Following this custom, the temple doors were shut at 4.30 am.
The TTD (Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams) has announced that the shrine of Lord Sri Venkateswara Swamy here and several other temples managed by it will remain closed for devotees for 10 hours on Tuesday in view of the lunar eclipse.
Lunar eclipses are completely safe to view with the naked eye. Experts suggest that no special glasses are required (unlike solar eclipses). Lunar eclipses are completely safe to view because of the source and intensity of the light reaching your eyes. Unlike a solar eclipse, which involves looking directly at the sun, a lunar eclipse is simply the moon reflecting filtered sunlight.
Lunar Eclipse 2026 Timings Live Updates: During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon appears red because Earth comes directly between the Sun and the Moon, blocking direct sunlight. However, some sunlight still passes through Earth’s atmosphere. The atmosphere scatters shorter wavelengths of light, like blue and green, while allowing longer red and orange wavelengths to bend around the planet and reach the Moon. This filtered red light reflects off the Moon’s surface, giving it the dramatic “Blood Moon” glow.
Capturing the Blood Moon requires the right timing and basic camera adjustments. A DSLR or mirrorless camera paired with a telephoto lens (200–600mm) can helps bring out the Moon’s surface details and red glow during totality beautifully! Here are a few tips to keep in mind while photographing the lunar eclipse.
Lunar Eclipse 2026 Live Updates: The eclipse happens in stages. Tt begins with faint shadowing (penumbral phase), becomes clearly visible when the darker shadow covers the Moon (partial phase), turns red during totality, and then reverses the same stages until it ends. Here's a tentative timeline for the total eclipse today:
Lunar Eclipse 2026 Live Updates: Blood Moon will be visible from large parts of the world where the Moon is above the horizon during the eclipse phases. This includes much of Asia (including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and all of South and East Asia), Australia and New Zealand, and wide regions of North and South America.
The eclipse will also be visible over the Pacific region, Indian Ocean, Atlantic, Arctic and Antarctica. In some areas of central Asia and South America only partial phases may be seen depending on local moonrise and moonset times, but many parts of the world will witness at least a portion of the eclipse.
Lunar Eclipse 2026 Live Updates: While, most of Indian cities will witness only a partial eclipse at moonrise, several cities in the Northeast are expected to experience full totality. Cities expected to experience 100% obscuration (total eclipse) include
In these regions, totality is expected to start in the afternoon and continue into the evening, with the maximum phase occurring between approximately 5.10 pm and 5.25 pm IST, depending on the city.
Lunar Eclipse 2026 Live Updates: This is the first Chandra Grahan of 2026. Plus, it coinciding with the festival of Holi makes it even more special. The eclipse will take place on Purnima, the full moon day of the Hindu month of Phalguna, adding to its appeal to the Hindus.
Lunar Eclipse 2026 Live Updates: Devotees turned up in large numbers at several temples across the country early this morning ahead of closures due to the lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan). From Madurai to Tirumala and Ayodhya, worshippers queued up for early darshan before temple doors were shut in keeping with traditional eclipse practices. Authorities have announced that temples will reopen after the eclipse, following customary rituals.
A lunar eclipse can be penumbral, partial, or total, depending on how deeply the Moon moves into Earth’s shadow. In a penumbral eclipse, the dimming is faint and often hard to notice, while a partial eclipse shows a clear dark “bite” on the Moon. A total lunar eclipse is the most striking, as the entire Moon turns reddish due to sunlight filtering through Earth’s atmosphere. The March 03, 2026 eclipse is significant because its visibility and phase alignment will determine how prominently it can be seen in India, making timing crucial for skywatchers and those observing Chandra Grahan traditions.
