Claim : Image allegedly shows Full Red Moon rising over the Statue of Liberty in New York during a total lunar eclipse on March 3, 2026.
Conclusion : The claim is totally false. The total lunar eclipse and red Moon were real events visible on March 3, 2026 in New York. However, the image in the claim is digitally altered with incorrect rising timing for the depicted location.
Rating : Totally False 
Several social media users have shared an image, claiming that it allegedly showcases the Full Red Moon in New York. X user ‘amazing_physics’ shared such a claim with the caption : “Breathtaking shot of tonight’s Full Red Moon rising over Liberty Statue during a total lunar eclipse.” It includes three nearly identical photos showing the Statue of Liberty with a large red full moon perfectly aligned behind the torch against the New York City skyline. View the post below –
Breathtaking shot of tonight’s Full Red Moon rising over Liberty Statue during a total lunar eclipse. 🌕✨ pic.twitter.com/41NrGi1rNw
— Amazing Physics (@amazing_physics) March 3, 2026
FACT CHECK
DigitEYE India decided to investigate this claim and found it to be false. A total lunar eclipse, often called a red Moon, did occur on March 3, 2026 and was visible from New York. However, the image being circulated has been digitally manipulated, showing a Moonrise time that does not match the actual timing for that location.
We first learned about the total lunar eclipse, also known as the Blood Moon that occurred recently. Several news media outlets including a report from USA Today noted that “a blood-red hue over parts of the Earth in the wee morning hours of Tuesday, March 3, and much of the United States will be able to see.” It further noted that “the total lunar eclipse will be visible over North America, parts of South America, East Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.” View a section of this below –
Next, we conducted a reverse image search on the image to learn about it’s origin and authenticity. However, we could not locate any specific photographer since the image has been shared several times. CNN has shared a video capturing the red moon and Space has also tracked the live moments and shared images. Yet, none of these websites showcase the photo shared in the claim. Vew some of the moments they have shared below –
Following this, we tried to understand how the moon rose to check whether the angle captured was possible or not. As per TimeandDate, local eclipse timings in New York show totality from 6:04–7:02 a.m. EST. Since the moonset occurred at 6:28 a.m. EST, the Moon was setting and not rising, during the red phase. We searched for reports or photos pertaining to the moon over New York during total lunar eclipse but did not come across any verified reports. View a screenshot of all the phases in New York below –
After this, we searched for verified reports about any full moon over New York but did come across credible reports. A New York Post report published on July 27, 2018 writes abut how the buck moon acted like a backdrop to the Statue of Liberty in New York clicked by Peter Alessandria. On 4 July 2023, the Guardian has posted various pictures of the buck supermoon all round the world, including one picture behind the Statue of Liberty. In July 21, 2024, Space.com uploaded a picture of the full blood buck moon behind the Statue of Liberty, clicked by Gary Hershorn.
All of these reports share verified images but the image of the claim has edited a previous photo from the 2018 New York Post report, view the comparison picture below –
The different variation of the same photo uploaded by Peter Alessandria seems to have won an award from Smithsonian Magazine.
Thus, the image shown in the claim with the moon “rising” during it’s full red phase over the Statue of Liberty is practically not possible. To confirm, we tested the image and ran it through an AI detector to confirm its authenticity. The results proved that a significant part of this image was created using AI. View the results below –
Thus, the claim is false.
