06/09/2025
🌕 BLOOD MOON OVER SOUTH AFRICA – THIS SUNDAY
Total Lunar Eclipse | The longest since Nov 2022 | Visible Across South Africa
This Sunday night, South Africans will witness a rare celestial event: a Blood Moon, where the full Spring Moon, September’s lunar peak in the Southern Hemisphere, is engulfed by Earth’s shadow and turns a deep copper-red.
WHAT IS A BLOOD MOON?
A Blood Moon occurs during a total lunar eclipse, when Earth moves directly between the Sun and Moon. Sunlight bends through our atmosphere, scattering blue light and casting red tones onto the Moon’s surface, like a global sunset projected onto lunar dust or a shadow.
HEMISPHERE NAMING
In the Southern Hemisphere, September’s full moon is called the Spring Moon, marking seasonal renewal, a Heritage name in South Africa.
In the Northern Hemisphere, it’s usually the Corn Moon, however, in 2025, the Harvest Moon, defined as the full moon closest to the equinox (22 Sept), falls in October (rising Oct 6). So this year, September’s full moon is the Corn Moon.
ECLIPSE TIMELINE – SOUTH AFRICA STANDARD TIME (SAST)
Partial Eclipse Begins – 18:27
Total Eclipse Begins – 19:30
🔴 Maximum Eclipse – 20:11
Total Eclipse Ends – 20:52
Partial Eclipse Ends – 21:55
Eastern regions (e.g. East London, Durban) may experience deeper red hues due to stronger gravitational lensing and clearer atmospheric conditions.
GLOBAL VISIBILITY
This will be the longest total lunar eclipse since Nov 8, 2022, lasting nearly five hours, with 82 minutes of totality.
It will be visible to 5.8 billion people, about 71% of the world’s population.
First cities to experience totality:
- Sydney, Melbourne, Perth (Australia)
- Tokyo, Seoul
Final cities to catch the eclipse at moonrise:
- Moscow, Ankara, Bucharest
- Western Europe (eclipsed moon at rise)
HOW TO WATCH
- No special equipment needed, it is visible to the naked eye
- Best viewed facing east, away from city lights
- Binoculars or a telescope will enhance surface detail
- Weather: Will be updated on Saturday
BONUS EVENT – MONDAY 8 SEPTEMBER
The following evening, the waning gibbous moon will appear close to Saturn, which will shine especially bright as it approaches annual opposition on Sept 20, its closest point to Earth this year.
SYMBOLISM & RESONANCE
In South Africa, the Blood Moon is sometimes called the Poacher’s Moon, a haunting reminder of visibility and vulnerability. But for most, it’s a moment of reflection, connection, and celestial storytelling.
“Poacher’s Moon” is a term used in parts of South Africa, especially around Zululand, to describe full moons (and especially Blood Moons) that cast unusually bright light across the landscape. That brightness, while beautiful to skywatchers, has historically made it easier for poachers to operate under cover of night.
During past full moon events, including supermoons and eclipses, there have been documented spikes in rhino poaching incidents. For example, nine rhinos were killed during the full moon in May 2017 at Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, and eight during a supermoon in 2015. The term “Poacher’s Moon” emerged from these grim patterns, used by rangers and conservationists as a warning signal, a reminder that celestial beauty can also bring terrestrial danger.
It’s a stark contrast: while most of us gaze up in wonder, anti-poaching teams go on high alert, knowing that the moon’s brilliance can expose both wildlife and patrol blind spots. The Blood Moon, with its eerie red glow, adds symbolic weight to that tension, beauty and threat, visibility and vulnerability, all in one frame.
Honour the sky. Face the east. Let the Moon speak.
