Eclipse · 2026
Total Lunar Eclipse 3 Mar 2026
A total lunar eclipse on 3 March 2026, greatest at 5:03 PM IST, in Leo and Purva Phalguni nakshatra. In India it is seen from all 28 cities we list — in Delhi from 6:21 PM to 6:47 PM.
Total · Lunar eclipse
Key facts
- Greatest (IST)
- 5:03 PM
- 3 March 2026
- Magnitude
- 1.154
- Moon’s diameter in the umbra
- Rashi · nakshatra
- Leo · Purva Phalguni
- lord Venus
- In India
- 28 of 28 cities
- sutak from 9 h before
- Penumbral begins
- 3 Mar 2026, 2:14 PM
- Partial begins
- 3 Mar 2026, 3:19 PM
- Totality begins
- 3 Mar 2026, 4:34 PM
- Maximum
- 3 Mar 2026, 5:03 PM
- Totality ends
- 3 Mar 2026, 5:33 PM
- Partial ends
- 3 Mar 2026, 6:47 PM
- Penumbral ends
- 3 Mar 2026, 7:53 PM
A lunar eclipse’s contacts happen at the same instant everywhere; the city only decides whether the Moon is above the horizon then.
Timings in Indian cities
From first to last contact, the part seen with the Moon above the horizon (the umbral phase; for a penumbral eclipse, the penumbral phase). Times in IST, at sea level.
| City | Begins | Maximum | Ends | Seen for | Sutak (tradition) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delhivisible | 6:21 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 26 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Mumbaivisible | 6:44 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 3 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Kolkatavisible | 5:38 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 1 h 9 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Chennaivisible | 6:17 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 30 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Bengaluruvisible | 6:28 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 19 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Hyderabadvisible | 6:22 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 25 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Ahmedabadvisible | 6:44 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 3 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Punevisible | 6:41 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 6 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Jaipurvisible | 6:28 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 19 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Lucknowvisible | 6:07 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 40 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Patnavisible | 5:50 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 57 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Bhopalvisible | 6:24 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 23 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Indorevisible | 6:30 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 17 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Ujjainvisible | 6:30 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 17 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Nagpurvisible | 6:18 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 29 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Varanasivisible | 5:59 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 48 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Prayagrajvisible | 6:04 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 43 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Chandigarhvisible | 6:22 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 25 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Amritsarvisible | 6:29 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 18 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Srinagarvisible | 6:28 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 19 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Dehradunvisible | 6:17 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 30 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Guwahativisible | 5:22 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 1 h 25 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Bhubaneswarvisible | 5:50 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 57 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Raipurvisible | 6:07 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 40 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Ranchivisible | 5:51 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 56 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Suratvisible | 6:44 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 3 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Kochivisible | 6:35 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 12 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
| Thiruvananthapuramvisible | 6:33 PMMoon rises eclipsed | below the horizon | 6:47 PM | 14 min | 6:19 AM – 6:47 PM |
Sutak: what the tradition says
Sutak is the stretch before an eclipse in which tradition asks people to avoid cooking and eating, touching temple images and starting auspicious work. It is counted from 12 hours (four prahar) before a solar eclipse begins and 9 hours (three prahar) before a lunar one, and it lifts when the eclipse ends. Most families relax it for children, the elderly and anyone unwell.
Sutak applies only where the eclipse is seen. Cities marked ‘not visible’ have none, and a penumbral lunar eclipse is generally not given one. The sutak in the table is counted from the eclipse’s beginning at that city. Whether to keep it is a matter of your family’s practice.
This eclipse falls in Leo — Leo rashifal
Frequently asked questions
Will the Total Lunar Eclipse 3 Mar 2026 be visible in India?
Yes, from all 28 cities we list. Each city’s begin, maximum and end are in the table above.
When does the sutak begin for the Total Lunar Eclipse 3 Mar 2026?
Tradition starts sutak 9 hours before a lunar eclipse begins and ends it when the eclipse ends — only where the eclipse is seen. In Delhi: from 3 Mar 2026, 6:19 AM to 3 Mar 2026, 6:47 PM. Other cities are in the table.
Is it safe to watch the lunar eclipse?
Yes. A lunar eclipse is completely safe to watch with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope.
Which rashi and nakshatra is this eclipse in?
Leo rashi, Purva Phalguni nakshatra (the sidereal position of the Moon at the maximum). Tradition advises people with Moon sign Leo or birth nakshatra Purva Phalguni to keep the day quiet, with prayer or meditation — a cue to pause, not a reason to fear.
All times in Indian Standard Time (IST). Sidereal signs, Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) ayanamsa; Rahu is the true node, Ketu exactly opposite. Computed by our own ephemeris — checked against Swiss Ephemeris, sign changes agree within 2 minutes (Rahu and Ketu within 15). Eclipses are computed from our engine’s Sun and Moon; city times are checked against Swiss Ephemeris (within 1–2 minutes; a few minutes where the Sun or Moon rises or sets mid-eclipse). City coordinates: GeoNames.