Rare blood moon to grace Pakistan's skies next month

A spectacular lunar eclipse, known as the blood moon, will grace Paksitan's skies next month, offering stargazers a rare celestial sight.

Around 88 percent of the world’s population, including people in Pakistan, will be able to witness a spectacular total lunar eclipse, popularly known as the blood moon, in September.

Astronomers report that the September 2025 eclipse will be among the most widely visible of this decade, offering a rare celestial spectacle.

The eclipse will occur on the night between September 7 and 8, when the moon will take on a deep red hue, earning it the name blood moon.

A blood moon is a type of total lunar eclipse that happens when the Earth comes directly between the sun and the moon.

As the moon passes through the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, sunlight cannot reach it directly.

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Instead, the Earth’s atmosphere scatters shorter wavelengths of light (blue and violet), while longer red wavelengths bend around and fall onto the moon’s surface, giving it a reddish glow.

The eclipse will begin at 8:28 pm (PST) on September 7 and end at 1:55 am, with the total eclipse phase lasting for about 82 minutes.

This rare sight will be visible in Pakistan, India, Central Asia, Australia, parts of Russia, Japan, and East Africa.

Meanwhile, large portions of Europe, Asia, Eastern Australia, Africa, and New Zealand will observe a partial eclipse. Viewers in the United States, however, will miss out on the event.

Earlier this year, on March 14, 2025, the first lunar eclipse of the year took place but was not visible in Pakistan as it occurred between 9 am and 3 pm PST.