'Blood Moon' total lunar eclipse on Sep. 7, astronomy groups watching from Punggol rooftop garden & West Coast Park

On Sep. 7, Singaporeans can catch the sighting of a rare “blood moon”, caused by a total lunar eclipse.

Catch the rare sighting from 1:30am

According to Stargazing Singapore Facebook group, the total eclipse will begin at 1:30am and peak at 2:11am.

Here are some key timings:

Moon rise in the eastern sky: 6:49pm on Sep. 7

The start of the total eclipse (moon is copper red): 1:30am (Sep. 8)

Maximum Eclipse: 2:11am

The end of total eclipse: 2:50am

You can also join these two astronomy groups at Blk 654A Punggol Drive or West Coast Park in their total eclipse watch:

Blood moon

According to Space.com, Singapore is expected to experience a blood moon on Sep. 7, along with the rest of East Asia and Western Australia.

A blood moon is so called because of the reddish tone that the Moon takes on during a total lunar eclipse.

It occurs when the Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon, causing the Moon to be illuminated only by sunlight that has passed through the Earth’s atmosphere.

The Earth’s atmosphere filters or scatters the blue wavelengths of light, only allowing the red and orange wavelengths to reach the Moon, thus allowing for the blood moon to occur.

Space.com reports that the 2025 lunar eclipse will occur nearly three days before the Moon is at its closest point, so it will appear slightly larger than usual.

But it also expects the 2025 eclipses to be more deeply shaded, with 36 per cent of the Moon passing through the darkest part of Earth’s shadow.

Top image via Canva