NEW YORK (AP) — A total lunar eclipse will flush the moon red Thursday night into Friday morning across the Western Hemisphere.
The best views will be from North America and South America. Parts of Africa and Europe may catch a glimpse.
Lunar eclipses happen when the moon, Earth and sun align just so. The Earth casts a shadow that can partially or totally blot out the moon.
During a partial lunar eclipse, Earth's shadow appears to take a bite of the moon. The full moon is covered during a total eclipse and blushes coppery red because of stray bits of sunlight filtering through Earth's atmosphere.
Lunar and solar eclipses happen anywhere from four to seven times a year, according to NASA. A partial lunar eclipse graced skies in the Americas, Africa and Europe last September and the last total lunar eclipse was in 2022.
The so-called blood moon will be visible for about an hour starting at 2:26 a.m. Eastern on Friday morning. Peak viewing will be close to 3 a.m. Eastern.
To see it, venture outside and look up — no need for eclipse glasses or any special equipment.
“As long as the sky is clear, you should be able to see it,” said Shannon Schmoll, director of Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University.
The setting of the moon may make it harder to see the eclipse in Europe and Africa.
“This is really an eclipse for North and South America,” said astronomy expert Michael Faison from Yale University.
If you miss out, mark your calendar for Sept. 7. Another total lunar eclipse will sweep across parts of Asia, Africa, Australia and Europe. Parts of the Americas will get their next taste in March 2026.
Civilizations have viewed and interpreted lunar eclipses for thousands of years. Ancient people knew more about the celestial bodies than we give them credit for, said historian Zoe Ortiz.
“They were looking at the night sky and they had a much brighter vision than we do today,” said Ortiz with the University of North Texas.
Aristotle noticed that the shadow the Earth cast on the moon during a lunar eclipse was always curved, observations proving that the Earth is round.
And a civilization in ancient Mesopotamia saw the blood red moon as a bad omen for the king. The people installed a substitute king on the throne around the time of the eclipse to protect their ruler from any bad will.
“If there's ever a movie plot,” said Ortiz, “that's the one.”
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
FILE - Light shines from a total lunar eclipse over Santa Monica Beach in Santa Monica, Calif., Wednesday, May 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu, File)
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 19, 2025--
Nextdoor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: NXDR), the essential neighborhood network, today announced expanded integrations for Nextdoor Alerts, implementing real-time earthquake data from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). This integration, along with the recent addition of Waze’s road and traffic data, significantly broadens the scope of critical, timely information available on Nextdoor – cementing the platform’s real-time value.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251219377420/en/
Since launching Nextdoor Alerts as part of the New Nextdoor in July 2025 with The Weather Company, Samdesk, and PowerOutage.us, the platform has delivered 3.7 million alerts – an approximately 400% increase in alerts delivered since launch. Neighbors can comment on these alerts and have real-time conversations, keeping each other informed. New partnerships with organizations like Waze and integrations with USGS demonstrate Nextdoor's sustained investment in essential neighborhood information. To date, the most engaged alerts measured by neighborhood conversations include dual Tsunami Watches for Orange County and San Diego County coastal areas on July 29, and most recently, a magnitude 4.03 earthquake near San Ramon, California, on December 14.
"We know that Nextdoor plays a critical role for neighbors before, during, and after disasters," said Nirav Tolia, CEO and Co-Founder of Nextdoor. "Integrating with USGS alert data exemplifies our continued commitment to providing reliable, real-time safety information to help neighbors make informed decisions and connect with neighbors.”
USGS Integration Delivers Neighborhood-Specific Disaster Data
Nextdoor neighbors will receive earthquake alerts that affect their neighborhood in real time. The alerts appear at the top of the Nextdoor newsfeed and are delivered via push notification if they are severe enough. The key difference between receiving an alert via Nextdoor or other alert providers is the ability to converse with your neighbors about the alert information. After neighbors receive the alert, they can use Nextdoor to check on neighbors, offer resources, and share real-time local information.
Alerts Map for Public Agency Partners
Nextdoor Alerts Map is also now available for public agency partners. The Nextdoor Alerts Map displays real-time information from Nextdoor’s alerting partners using Nextdoor’s API. These range from everyday alerts on weather, traffic, and public safety to critical alerts on power outages, severe weather, earthquakes, and fires.
Agencies can actively engage with their communities through the Nextdoor Alerts Map by monitoring alerts in their area and participating in real time. Officials can react to alerts, respond to neighbor questions with clarifying information, share links to official agency posts for ongoing updates, and reshare alerts to amplify or provide additional context.
To learn more about Nextdoor Alerts, visit Nextdoor.com.
About Nextdoor
Nextdoor is the essential neighborhood network for over 100 million verified neighbors, offering trusted local news, real-time safety alerts, neighbor recommendations, for sale and free listings, and events. Nextdoor connects neighbors to the people, places, and information that matter most in their local communities. In addition, businesses, news publishers, and public agencies use Nextdoor to share important information and engage with neighbors at scale. Download the app or join the neighborhood at nextdoor.com. For more information and media assets, visit nextdoor.com/newsroom.
Source: Nextdoor Holdings, Inc.
Public Agency Alert Map
Earthquake alerts on Nextdoor
