The Stages of a Lunar Eclipse

A lunar eclipse is more than just a breathtaking sight—it’s a celestial event with distinct phases, each offering something unique to observe. As the Moon moves through Earth’s shadow, you’ll see subtle changes unfold, from the first faint dimming to the dramatic moment of totality. In this guide, we’ll walk through each stage of a lunar eclipse, so you know exactly what to watch for when the eclipse happens later this month (March 2025)! Get ready to experience the night sky like never before!

A Note For Teachers: If you’re an educator planning to teach the stages of a lunar eclipse, great learning resources are key to deepening understanding! I think you and your students will love my printable lunar eclipse mini study, which you can also find within my complete Night Sky Unit (plus you’ll support my blog with your purchase! ❤️)

What is a lunar eclipse?

A lunar eclipse happens when the Moon passes through the Earth’s shadow. From Earth, this can look like the Moon goes through all of its phases in a single night, over several hours.

To understand the stages of a lunar eclipse, you need to understand shadows. Earth’s shadow has two parts: the penumbra (a partial shadow) and the umbra (a total shadow). When the Moon is in the penumbra, it looks only a little dimmer. But when it’s in the umbra, the Moon darkens and may turn a spooky red!

Want more background information on eclipses? You can read more about how lunar eclipses work in this blog post.

A total lunar eclipse. Photo by Samer Daboul on Pexels.com

Before the Lunar Eclipse

Before the eclipse begins, the moon will be a regular full moon. Lunar eclipses only happen during a full moon when the Moon is directly opposite the Sun on the other side of Earth. But why don’t we have a lunar eclipse with every full moon? It’s because the Moon’s orbit is slightly tilted, so most of the time, it passes just above or below Earth’s shadow. On rare occasions, when the Sun, Earth, and Moon line up perfectly, the Moon passes right through Earth’s shadow, creating a lunar eclipse. Once the eclipse begins, the Earth’s shadow will start covering the Moon.

First Contact

First contact is the official beginning of a (penumbral) lunar eclipse. First contact is when the Earth’s penumbra (partial shadow) touches the edge of the Moon. You may not notice much at the time of first contact. Following first contact, the Moon may start appearing very slightly darker as it becomes shaded by the penumbra. Total darkness won’t start spreading across the surface of the Moon until it enters Earth’s umbra (total shadow)

Second Contact

The second contact is when the Earth’s umbra first touches the Moon’s edge. This officially marks the beginning of a partial lunar eclipse. Following the second contact, a much more noticeable darkness will start gradually spreading across the face of the Moon. The Moon may appear to be waning (relatively) rapidly, over an hour or so.

Third Contact

The third contact is when the Moon becomes fully shaded by the Earth’s umbra. This is when the total lunar eclipse begins. Depending on the eclipse, the totality phase may last minutes or over an hour. During this stage, you can see the moon but it looks very unusual.

When the Moon is centered in the Earth’s shadow, it will appear dark and reddish. Why? It’s because Earth’s atmosphere bends sunlight, scattering blue light and bending red and orange light to reach the Moon. This same phenomenon is why sunsets appear reddish.

Fourth Contact

The fourth contact is when the Moon exits the Earth’s umbra, ending the total lunar eclipse. After the fourth contact, you will see a growing white-ish crescent of the Moon. The Moon will appear to wax (relatively) rapidly, over an hour or so.

Fifth Contact

At the fifth contact, the Moon leaves the Earth’s umbra and the partial eclipse ends. At this point, the Moon will appear full again, though slightly darker than normal because the Moon is still shaded by the Earth’s penumbra.

Sixth Contact

The sixth contact happens when the Moon fully leaves the Earth’s penumbra. This is the end of the eclipse. The moon appears like a regular full moon again.

Study this topic with Wild Earth Lab!

Hey teachers! There’s no need to scramble to put together the perfect lunar eclipse lesson – I’ve already created it for you! This set includes all the printable materials you need for studying the stages of a lunar eclipse!

Or – you’ll also find all the same lunar eclipse materials plus tons more in my complete Night Sky Unit. Check it out: