2026, March 1-3: March Worm Moon and Total Lunar Eclipse: Viewing Guide Near Regulus

March 1-3, 2026: The Full Worm Moon reaches peak phase March 3 at 5:38 a.m. CT with a total lunar eclipse. See when to watch the moon pass Regulus.

Full moon
Full Moon (NASA Photo)

by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Venus as an Evening Star

Venus Special Report

Moon Passes Regulus

The moon is approaching the Full (Worm) Moon phase on March 3 at 5:38 a.m. Central Time. During this lunation, the moon is eclipsed.

The bright moon is passing Leo and its brightest star, Regulus. It is in the sky nearly all night. The moon’s motion can be observed from date to date, whether before sunrise or after sunset.

After Sunset

Here’s what to see 90 minutes after sunset:

Moon, Regulus, March 1-3, 2026
Chart Caption – 2026, March 1-3: At 90 minutes after sunset, the moon passes Regulus, Leo’s brightest star, in the eastern sky.

• March 1: The moon, 98% illuminated, is over one-third of the way from the eastern horizon to overhead and is nearly 6° to the upper right of Regulus.
• March 2: On the night of the Worm Moon, the lunar orb is over 20° above the eastern horizon and 7.8° to Regulus’ lower left. A lunar eclipse occurs tomorrow morning.
• March 3: On the night after the lunar eclipse, the bright moon is nearly 10° above the eastern horizon.

Before Sunrise

At 90 minutes before sunup, look westward.

Here’s what to see before sunrise:

• March 1: The bright gibbous moon, 95% illuminated, is more than 6° above the west-northwest horizon, about 15° to Regulus’ lower right.
• March 2: The bright moon is 12° above the western horizon, 1.6° to Regulus’ lower right. The moon occults (eclipses) the star for sky watchers in Asia and parts of Micronesia and Polynesia.

2022, November 8: Lunar eclipse.
2022, November 8: Lunar eclipse.

• March 3: On the morning of the Worm Moon, the moon passes through Earth’s shadow in a lunar eclipse. At this hour, it is in a deep partial phase, with totality beginning at 5:03 a.m. Central Time. In the Americas, the totally eclipsed moon is near the western horizon, setting in Chicago at 6:25 a.m. Photograph it with terrestrial features and note its likely flattened appearance from the thicker air near the horizon.

Look for the moon in the evening or morning to watch it pass Regulus. Predawn sky watchers can see a total lunar eclipse.

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