Partial lunar eclipse will be visible across parts of Canadian skies soon

Two weeks after a partial solar eclipse in some parts of the country, a partial lunar eclipse is set to be visible across Canadian skies.

Those with a clear view will be able to view the lunar eclipse from Thursday night into Friday.

Around “93 or 94 per cent of the moon will be obscured,” leaving “a tiny sliver, maybe seven per cent of the moon” visible, according to Dr. William Archer, a program scientist in heliophysics at the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

“It’s going to be quite dramatic.”

The eclipse is set to peak around 10:10 p.m. mountain time and 12:10 a.m. eastern time and is expected to be most visible in both the central and eastern parts of Canada.

Archer also stated that there is no need to wear any protective eyeglasses or equipment to enjoy the eclipse.

“Because all of what we’re looking at is the reflective sunlight off the surface of the moon. It is no more dangerous than looking at the moon, so you can stare at it as much as you’d like.”

According to the CSA, a partial lunar eclipse is when “the Moon partially crosses Earth’s umbra.”

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“It takes around six hours for the whole process to happen and what you’ll see is you’ll start with a full moon and then ever so slowly you’ll see over three hours more and more of the moon will start to be obscured by the shadow of the Earth,” Archer said.

“And then after about three hours then you’ll get to that maximum eclipse. And then the whole thing will happen in reverse, and you’ll see more and more of the moon showing up.”

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The CSA states that there is an average of two lunar eclipses a year, “although there can be as many as three to five of them in a year.”

The next total lunar eclipse to be visible in Canada is expected to occur in late 2028, according to Archer.