How and when to see the total lunar eclipse on March 3

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.

What to expect

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.

However, for those in the eastern time zone, the moon will have set before then.

But for those in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, they will see the entire phase of totality. The moon will set during the partial phase as the moon moves out of the umbra.

You can visit TimeandDate to look for the exact times for your location as well as what you can expect to see.

Paul Delaney, professor emeritus of physics and astronomy at York University in Toronto, has some tips for those who plan to catch the eclipse.

“Like any eclipse, dress for the weather,” he said via email. “[It will] likely be chilly for Canadians, so dress warmly for best enjoyment.” 

Delaney said that if you want to take photographs of the event, you should know where the moon will be relative to your surroundings.

“Of course, totality will be cut off by moonset, and generally the moon will be low to the horizon for most Canadians. [It] could generate some interesting shots,” he said.