How and when to see the total lunar eclipse on March 3
CBC
In the early morning hours of March 3, the moon will glide through Earth's shadow, producing a total lunar eclipse across Canada.
But what you see depends on where you are.
In Western Canada, the entire eclipse will be visible, while in the Prairie provinces it won't be seen it in its entirety, as the moon will have set in the west during the event.
In parts of Atlantic Canada, the eclipse will only appear to be partial.
In order to see the eclipse, observers are going to have to commit to getting up early (or staying up late, if you're in the west), as the eclipse takes place in the early morning hours.
Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses take place over hours, with different phases.
First, the moon passes through Earth's faint outer shadow called the penumbra. At this phase, it's pretty much impossible to notice any real difference in the moon's brightness.
Eventually, the moon enters Earth's inner, darker shadow, called the umbra. That's when it looks like part of the moon disappears or becomes much dimmer. That's the partial phase.
In a total lunar eclipse, the entire moon enters that inner shadow, but it doesn't disappear — instead, it often turns a reddish or orange colour as Earth blocks direct sunlight from reaching it. That's why these eclipses are often referred to as a "blood moon."
The light that does reach the moon is filtered through the Earth's atmosphere. Colours with short wavelengths, like blue, scatter more easily, while those with longer wavelengths, like red, are more likely to pass through, giving the moon its colour.
If there's a lot of dust in the atmosphere — such as after a volcanic eruption — the eclipse can appear much darker than normal, as happened in the year following the 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines.
The moon will enter the penumbra at 3:44 a.m. ET/12:44 PT. As mentioned, it will be difficult to see any change in the moon's appearance.
The real action starts at 4:50 a.m. ET/1:50 a.m. PT when the moon enters the umbra. At this point, the top left part of the moon will appear darker.
Finally, totality begins at 6:04 a.m. ET/3:04 a.m. PT, and ends at 7:03 a.m. ET/4:03 a.m. PT, before going back to a partial eclipse.
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