Having photographed lunar eclipses a number of times previously and with plans for an upcoming early morning start I had not planned to photograph the total lunar eclipse on 3 March 2026. I had been tempted as I was at home and had set up my Nikon Z9 and Nikkor Z 800mm f6.3 on my large Sirui R4203L carbon fibre tripod but clouds skidding across the face of the moon as the eclipse began had undermined my resolve. Leaving my rig outside covered by a jacket, I episodically popped out to see if conditions were improving.

Fortunately the clouds moved on and gave a largely clear view of the progression until totality after midnight. The next images show the progression.

While there is any direct sunlight hitting the moon it is impossible to get detail in the shaded area without blowing out the exposure in the sunlit area unless using exposure bracketing and blending. Once totality occurs extending exposure times allows capture of the warm colours of the long wavelength light rays that refract around the earth. The longer exposure begins to show stars in the night sky around the moon.

I ended up staying up far later than planned but it was well worth the sleep deprivation.

Photos with Nikon Z9 and Nikkor Z 800mm f6.3 VR S