On the night of May 15, the Blood Moon will rise and this will be the longest total lunar eclipse that Canadians can see in 15 years.
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth, and moon align so that the Earth blocks the sun and its shadow falls directly on the moon.
The moon’s nighttime light comes from light reflected from the sun. During a lunar eclipse, as the moon passes through the Earth’s umbra – the fullest part of the Earth’s shadow – its normally bright white light will rust into a darker, redder color, earning it the nickname no Officially Blood Moon. More than a third of lunar eclipses are total lunar eclipses.
According to NASA, the moon will begin entering Earth’s shadow shortly after 10pm (EDT) on May 15, but will enter the umbra around 11pm, marking the beginning of the lunar eclipse.
While the moon enters the umbra during a partial lunar eclipse, it will appear to our naked eyes as if parts of the moon were simply swallowed up by darkness – but once the moon is completely obscured , that shadow becomes visible as red as our eyes adjust.
At around 11:30 p.m. (EDT), the moon will be completely bronze.
The Blood Moon will have its largest lunar eclipse at 12:11 a.m. (EDT) on May 16 and will leave the umbra at around 1 a.m. By 1:30 a.m., it will only be half-shadowed, and by 2 a.m., it should be completely out of Earth’s shadow.
This eclipse is visible from coast to coast in Canada, although the exact rise and setting of the eclipse varies depending on the time zone.
A dynamic map made by NASA shows how the eclipse will unfold as the Earth rotates, indicating which regions of Earth will be able to see the eclipse at what stage.
Those in eastern and central Canada will have slightly better visibility – the moon will rise in the night sky around the time it begins the eclipse, meaning eastern provinces will be able to see the eclipse’s progress Entirely subject to visibility in relation to weather. night.
But in the Western provinces, the Moon will rise during the onset of a lunar eclipse, making it more difficult to see when it’s near the horizon. People in the northern regions of the Northwest Territories and the Yukon may only catch the end of the eclipse or may not see it if they are too far north.
The Moon will be completely eclipsed for about 85 minutes, or nearly an hour and a half. According to The Weather Network, this will be the longest total lunar eclipse visible in Canada since 2007.
According to NASA, this eclipse also occurs when the moon is near cyclical, meaning the moon appears 7% larger on average. Perigee is the point in the moon’s orbit when it comes closest to our planet.
The next total lunar eclipse visible in Canada will take place in November 2022 and will be visible across the entire country.
