**** Info via Environment Canada
Lunar Eclipse
On the night of November 7-8, if the sky is clear in your area, you will be able to see a total lunar eclipse. It will be visible in its entirety in western Canada, particularly in British Columbia, Alberta, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. In the east, the Moon will set as the eclipse begins.
The Moon will enter the penumbra, the area of partial shadow cast by the Earth, at 3:01 A.M. EST on November 8 (12:01 A.M. PST), and leave it at 8:58 A.M. EST (5:58 A.M. PST).
Total Lunar Eclipse seen from Toronto in December 2010.
What is a lunar eclipse?
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth moves between the Moon and the Sun. The Moon passes through the shadow cast by the Earth. This phenomenon can only happen when the Moon is directly opposite to the Sun in the sky, a monthly occurrence we know as a “Full Moon”. Unlike solar eclipses, anyone on the night-side of the Earth can see it at the time of the eclipse.
Animation of a lunar eclipse. Credit: NASA.
During a lunar eclipse, Earth’s shadow consists of the umbra (inner part, where there is no sunlight) and the penumbra (outer part, where there is some sunlight). Depending on the Moon’s trajectory, there can be three types of lunar eclipses:
- Penumbral eclipse: when the Moon crosses Earth’s penumbra.
- Partial eclipse: when the Moon partially crosses Earth’s umbra.
- Total eclipse: when the Moon completely crosses Earth’s umbra.
Different stages of a lunar eclipse. Credit: Canadian Space Agency.
Throughout a lunar eclipse, the Moon can take on a reddish colour. This is because the only remaining sunlight reaching the Moon at that point is from around the edges of the Earth, as seen from the Moon’s surface. If we were standing on the Moon during an eclipse, we would see all Earth’s sunrises and sunsets at once!
Will the sky be clear for the eclipse in your area? Astronomical forecasts.
