A total Lunar Eclipse will occur on Friday 14 March 2025, starting at about 5.09 am GMT. It will be visible across the entire of the Americas, as well as much of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and the eastern tip of Russia. Part of the eclipse will be visible from western parts of Africa and Europe, as well as much of East and Southeast Asia, and Australasia, although in these areas the Moon will either rise part way through the eclipse, or set before it is complete in these areas.
The Moon produces no light of its own, but 'shines' with reflected light from the Sun. Thus at Full Moon the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth to the Sun, and its illuminated side is turned towards us, but at New Moon the Moon is between the Earth and the Sun, so that its illuminated side is turned away from us.
Lunar eclipses occur when the Moon passes through the Earth's shadow. This can only happen at Full Moon (unlike Solar Eclipses, which happen only when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sum, and therefore only occur at New Moon), but does not happen every Lunar Month as the Sun, Moon and Earth are not in a perfect, unwavering line, but rather both the Earth and the Moon wobble slightly as they orbit their parent bodies, rising above and sinking bellow the plane of the ecliptic (the plane upon which they would all be in line every month).
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