Since last summer’s solar eclipse, we’ve become a bit of eclipse experts in Montreal. Glasses to watch the sun without burning your eyes? In the bag. The interactive map to see the zone of false night stretching over the city? Bookmarked in the phone. The plastic folding chair to put on the grass to watch the sun appear and disappear like a glitch in the matrix? In our car’s suitcase.
But this time, the eclipse is lunar. More precisely, it’s a total lunar eclipse. It will be caused by the Earth passing between the Moon and the Sun, obstructing the Sun’s light on the Moon. When the eclipse is total, the Moon is completely in the Earth’s shadow.
The Moon will be red
When we speak of a total eclipse of the Moon, some of the Sun’s rays still reach the planet, passing through the Earth’s atmosphere. The short-wave rays of the Sun – blue and green – are scattered and lost, while the long-wave rays – red – reach the Moon’s surface.
The result is a large, coppery moon which, depending on your mood, is either a good omen, or something vaguely distressing hidden behind drawn curtains. Pagan religions see the eclipse as the end of a cycle and the beginning of a new period, the ancient Babylonians a prediction of the death of a king, but it’s mostly seen as a period of transformation and reflection.
How do we see it?
The red moon phenomenon only appears when the eclipse is total, and on the night of March 13 to 14, it will be between 02:26 and 03:31 a.m., with the Moon’s coloration peaking at 02:59 a.m..
To see it, you’ll also need clear skies at that time – a few flakes are forecast for now, so you’ll have to wait and plan to stay up late to catch a glimpse of the Red Moon…
A happy – and positive – lunar eclipse to all!