Exactly When You Can See This Week’s ‘Super Flower Blood Moon’ Eclipse From Every U.S. State

Jamie Carter
Senior Contributor
Science
I inspire people to go stargazing, watch the Moon, enjoy the night sky

The month’s marquee astronomical event is a total lunar eclipse—a "Blood Moon"—on May 26, 2021. GETTY

Will you see 2021’s “Blood Moon” total lunar eclipse? That depends on where you are on the planet—and even within North America. That’s because the full “Flower Moon”—also technically 2021’s biggest, brightest and best “supermoon”—will set in North America just as it’s about to go red.


For the east coast and much of the midwest U.S. that’s a huge shame, though it will still be possible to see at least some of the early stages of this five-act total lunar eclipse from everywhere in the U.S.

Here’s precisely what you’ll see from where you are—and exactly when to look at the “Super Flower Blood Moon Eclipse” from everywhere in the U.S.

TL;DR: Totality—when the full Moon turns reddish for 14 minutes 30 seconds—will be visible from 15 U.S. states as well as parts of western Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska, with the West Coast getting the best views of the “Blood Moon” at 4:11-4:25 a.m. on Wednesday, May 26, 2021. Hawaii and Alaska will get the best views. But many central U.S. states will also see a partial lunar eclipse as the full Moon becomes a weird-looking “Half-Blood Moon.” The east coast, however, will see little more than the full Moon drop in brightness before it sets.


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Why ‘West is best’ for the ‘Blood Moon

Those in Hawaii and on the West Coast will see everything. By that I mean all FIVE phases of the total lunar eclipse will be visible at these times in global Universal Time (UTC), which are:

1. The full Moon entering Earth’s outer shadow and turning a dull grey (penumbral lunar eclipse) from 08:47-09:44 UTC (57 minutes – full Moon drops in brightness).

2. The full Moon getting increasingly red as it enters Earth’s inner shadow (partial lunar eclipse) from 09:44-11:11 UTC (1 hour 27 minutes – full Moon begins to turn reddish).

3. The full Moon in totality—100% red (total lunar eclipse) from 11:11-11:25 UTC (14 minutes 30 seconds – full Moon is reddish).

4. The full Moon gradually losing its redness (partial lunar eclipse) from 11:25-12:52 UTC (1 hour 27 minutes – full Moon begins to turn grey).

5.The full Moon leaving Earth’s outer shadow and turning a dull grey (penumbral lunar eclipse) from 12:52-13:49 UTC (57 minutes – full Moon remains muted in brightness).


As you can see it’s acts 2 and 3 that are most worth observing.

It’s a global event, so all you have to do is convert UTC to you local timezone. You can do that here, but it’s better to enter your location here to get an exact observing schedule for your location because the various stages of the eclipse may happen after the Moon has set in the west.

Take a look at this map, below, and it should now all make sense.

You can see that the Moon sets midway across the country just as totality is upon us. Totality will be visible from 11 U.S. states west of that “moonset line,” including parts of western Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Everyone east will miss out on a red Moon, but some will be able to see the full Moon turning red before it sets.

Below the map are the times for every U.S. state, what you’ll see, and where to look in the sky. Note that most of the U.S. will need a clear view of the southwest horizon to see a “red moon” setting:

 


Total lunar eclipse visibility on May 26, 2021. JAMIE CARTER/MAP DATA FROM XAVIER JUBIER

Here’s a useful interactive Google Map of the total lunar eclipse so you can see how high above the horizon each phase is (kudos and thanks goes to French eclipse-chaser and cartographer Xavier Jubier).
Where to see the ‘Super Flower Blood Moon’ total lunar eclipse on May 26, 2021 from every U.S. state capital

The further west you go the more of a partially eclipsed “Blood Mon” you’ll see. Click on the link for each U.S. state capital to get the exact schedule—the time of “maximum” being the very best view of a “red Moon” from that location.


It’s a global event so the times won’t change for the phases, but how high above the horizon the Moon is will change, so enter your exact location for the full details.


Alabama (AL) - Montgomery (penumbral and partial phases visible)
Alaska (AK) - Juneau (entire eclipse visible)
Arizona (AZ) - Phoenix (entire eclipse visible)
Arkansas (AR) - Little Rock (penumbral and partial phases visible)
California (CA) - Sacramento (entire eclipse visible)
Colorado (CO) - Denver (entire eclipse visible)
Connecticut (CT) - Hartford (penumbral phase only visible)
Delaware (DE) - Dover (penumbral phase only visible)
District of Columbia (DC) - Washington (penumbral and partial phases visible)
Florida (FL) - Tallahassee (penumbral and partial phases visible)
Georgia (GA) - Atlanta (penumbral and partial phases visible)
Hawaii (HI) - Honolulu (entire eclipse visible)
Idaho (ID) - Boise (entire eclipse visible)
Illinois (IL) - Springfield (penumbral and partial phases visible)
Indiana (IN) - Indianapolis (penumbral and partial phases visible)
Iowa (IA) - Des Moines (penumbral and partial phases visible)
Kansas (KS) - Topeka (penumbral and partial phases visible)
Kentucky (KY) - Frankfort (penumbral and partial phases visible)
Louisiana (LA) - Baton Rouge (penumbral and partial phases visible)
Maine (ME) - Augusta (penumbral phase only visible)
Maryland (MD) - Annapolis (penumbral phase only visible)
Massachusetts (MA) - Boston (penumbral phase only visible)
Michigan (MI) - Lansing (penumbral and partial phases visible)
Minnesota (MN) - St. Paul (penumbral and partial phases visible)
Mississippi (MS) - Jackson (penumbral and partial phases visible)
Missouri (MO) - Jefferson City (penumbral and partial phases visible)
Montana (MT) - Helena (entire eclipse visible)
Nebraska (NE) - Lincoln (penumbral and partial phases visible)
Nevada (NV) - Carson City (entire eclipse visible)
New Hampshire (NH) - Concord (penumbral phase only visible)
New Jersey (NJ) - Trenton (penumbral phase only visible)
New Mexico (NM) - Santa Fe (entire eclipse visible)
New York (NY) - Albany (penumbral phase only visible)
North Carolina (NC) - Raleigh (penumbral and partial phases visible)
North Dakota (ND) - Bismarck (penumbral and partial phases visible)
Ohio (OH) - Columbus (penumbral and partial phases visible)
Oklahoma (OK) - Oklahoma City (entire eclipse visible)
Oregon (OR) - Salem (entire eclipse visible)
Pennsylvania (PA) - Harrisburg (penumbral phase only visible)
Rhode Island (RI) - Providence (penumbral phase only visible)
South Carolina (SC) - Columbia (penumbral and partial phases visible)
South Dakota (SD) - Pierre (penumbral and partial phases visible)
Tennessee (TN) - Nashville (penumbral and partial phases visible)
Texas (TX) - Austin (entire eclipse visible)
Utah (UT) - Salt Lake City (entire eclipse visible)
Vermont (VT) - Montpelier (penumbral phase only visible)
Virginia (VA) - Richmond (penumbral and partial phases visible)
Washington (WA) - Olympia (entire eclipse visible)
West Virginia (WV) - Charleston (penumbral and partial phases visible)
Wisconsin (WI) - Madison (penumbral and partial phases visible)
Wyoming (WY) - Cheyenne (entire eclipse visible)



A total lunar eclipse is really five different phases—penumbral partial, total, penumbral and then ... [+] GETTY

Even for the western U.S. it’s going to be quite tricky to see the “Blood Moon,” as this summary shows


Very low in the southwestern sky – Texas: 6:11-6:25 a.m. on Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Low in the southwestern sky – New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, Idaho and Utah: 5:11-5:25 a.m. on Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Higher in the southwestern sky – Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington: 4:11-4:25 a.m. on Wednesday, May 26, 2021

If you can choose where to go to get the best view of the “Blood Moon?” Hawaii gets the best view followed by Alaska and coastal California.

Disclaimer: Jamie Carter is Editor of WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.

Jamie Carter
I'm an experienced science, technology and travel journalist and stargazer writing about exploring the night sky, solar and lunar eclipses, moon-gazing, astro-travel, astronomy and space exploration. I'm the editor of WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com and the author of "A Stargazing Program for Beginners: A Pocket Field Guide" (Springer, 2015), as well as many eclipse-chasing guides.