Keep your eyes to the sky on Tuesday 3 March and you'll bear witness to a total Lunar Eclipse. You won't want to miss it. This will be the last total Lunar Eclipse visible to Australia until 2028. Also known as a Blood Moon and coinciding with the Full Moon, the eclipse is set to start at around 10 pm.

Below is everything you need to know including the start and finish time around Australia and what its placement in Virgo means for you.

What is a Lunar Eclipse or a Blood Moon?

A Lunar Eclipse occurs when a Full Moon passes through the Earth's shadow. Our normal view of the Moon as bright and white is because it's illuminated by sunlight. However, during rare occasions where the Moon passes through the shadow cast by the Earth, sunlight is blocked and the Moon takes on a shadowy, blood red colour – hence the name Blood Moon.

A total lunar eclipse happens when the Moon passes entirely through the darkest part of the shadow. But there are also partial and penumbral lunar eclipses where the Moon only moves partly into the shadow. In the latter cases, only part of the Moon will turn red.

When does the Eclipse and Blood Moon start? When and where is the best time to see it?

Those on the East coast of Australia will have a view of the entire eclipse. The rest of Australia will miss part of it; either the penumbral, the partial or both. But all of us will get a complete view of the total or full moment of eclipse.

During the penumbral and partial phases, there is a darkening of the Moon. But the total phase is the best part to watch as this is when the Moon starts to turn red.

Here are the best times for the total lunar eclipse in your city:

• Sydney – start 10:04 pm, maximum 10:33 pm, end 11:02 pm AEDT
• Melbourne – start 10:04 pm, maximum 10:33 pm, end 11:02 pm AEDT
• Brisbane – start 9:04 pm, maximum 9:33 pm, end 10:02 pm AEST
• Canberra – start 10:04 pm, maximum 10:33 pm, end 11:02 pm AEDT
• Adelaide – start 9:34 pm, maximum 10:03 pm, end 10:32 pm ACDT
• Darwin – start 8:34 pm, maximum 9:03 pm, end 9:32 pm ACST
• Hobart – start 10:04 pm, maximum 10:33 pm, end 11:02 pm AEDT
• Perth – start 7:04 pm, maximum 7:33 pm, end 8:02 pm AWST

What to expect astrologically from the Blood Moon in Virgo

As astrologer Sade Jackson wrote in her March 2026 horoscopes, Tuesday's Blood Moon in Virgo is "less 'soft reset' and more 'get your life together.'" Lunar Eclipses are deeply intense for a reason. They pull what's rotten to the surface allowing us to detox and spiritually cleanse ourselves. You might have heard the term "Eclipse Season", and this is because Lunar Eclipses tend to arrive in sets. This one is the final link in the current chain, and we won't see another Blood Moon for at least two years.So in a way, this moment brings what has been transformational period to a close. Think of this as the final page in a long book. These final few lines are here to mentally prepare us to close the back cover and move on to the next thing.

In many ways this moment will feel nourishing, a much needed bout of soul food to help give us that kick start. But there is the potential for anxiety and neuroses; feeling that can be triggered by a desire to have your life perfectly lined up before you've even had a moment to breathe. As the outer planets take new positions, there is deep-rooted and generationally transformative change afoot. Saturn and Neptune have both moved into Aries ushering in a new era of action. But as with any transitions that happen at our very foundations, they need time to take root in order to flourish and you might not find firm footing for a while yet. You will need to find patience here and understand that perfection cannot be the enemy of good.

Fixed signs – Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius – may struggle in the moment as the cosmos of change still swirls around us. You can certainly lean into the renewed desire to reset and reorganise your life, but in order to find mental and emotional safety, you must get comfortable with the idea that the key pieces are still moving around. It may be some time before the stage is perfectly set.

Know that Blood Moons are always moody and fierce. It is normal to feel buoyed and invigorated in one moment and then frustrated by the pace of your life in the next. If you find yourself being swept away by your own emotions, taking a second to reconnect with nature and literally grounding yourself will help. Sometimes a big breath of fresh air truly works wonders.

Image: Adrian Swancar on Unsplash