Hey Toronto, you’ll want to stay up a little later this week! The moon will look a little redder than usual, and you can thank the upcoming total lunar eclipse for that. Also known as a “blood moon,” depending on your time zone, you may see it as early as Thursday night.
Eclipses are not necessarily a rare occurrence in the world. According to NASA, these happen about four to seven times a year. But depending on where you live, witnessing a total eclipse can be a once-in-a-lifetime event. Last year’s total solar eclipse was exactly that. Some Canadians flocked to the “Path of Totality” which crossed over a few cities, to see the sun lose its shine for a few minutes.
“The Moon’s orbit around Earth is tilted relative to Earth’s orbit around the Sun. This tilt is the reason why we have occasional eclipses instead of eclipses every month,” shares NASA.
But as for a total lunar eclipse, now that’s a little bit different.
What is a ‘blood moon’?
According to NASA, a “lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align so that the Moon passes into Earth’s shadow.” In the case of a total lunar eclipse, that’s when the whole Moon finds its way within the darkest part of Earth’s shadow – the umbra.
“When the Moon is within the umbra, it appears red-orange. Lunar eclipses are sometimes called “Blood Moons” because of this phenomenon,” they share.
When will we see the total lunar eclipse?
Now for the real question! The total lunar eclipse will occur on the night of March 13 or early in the morning on March 14.
There are five phases, according to NASA:
- Penumbral eclipse begins (11:57 p.m. EDT) The Moon enters the Earth’s penumbra, which is the outer part of the shadow.
- Partial eclipse begins (1:09 a.m. EDT)
- Totality begins (2:26 a.m. EDT) The entire Moon is now in the Earth’s umbra.
- Totality ends (3:31 a.m. EDT) Moon exits Earth’s umbra, and red colour fades.
- Partial eclipse ends (4:47 a.m. EDT)
How can I see the ‘blood moon’?
This time around, you don’t need any special equipment to see the total lunar eclipse. If you have a pair of binoculars or even a telescope, you’ll get a better view.
If your area is expected to be a little bit more cloudy, maybe head out to a more rural part to see it in action. NASA recommends using a camera on a tripod with exposures of at least several seconds if you want to snap a picture.
So, there you have it! Now, just make sure to save these dates on your calendar and take a nap or two beforehand – you’ll need to stay up for this!
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