By Gary Boyle
In the early morning hours of November 8, North America will witness the last total lunar eclipse of the year. This incredible sky show will play out with the Eastern, Atlantic and Newfoundland time zones seeing most of the event until the moon sets. The rest of North America will enjoy the late but spectacular show.
This is a very safe event, as the Castor full moon (November full moon) will pass through the Earth’s shadow for a maximum of three hours and forty minutes.
Eclipses do not occur every month, due to the slight tilt of the Moon’s orbit around the Earth. Some months the full or new moon is placed above or below the shadow of the Earth projected in space. There are a few times each year when the Sun, Earth and Moon line up to give us a solar or lunar eclipse. Each can be partially or fully covered.
Throughout antiquity, the “Blood Moon” was a harbinger of impending death from war or even demons. Superstition ruled the skies in the early days.
The reddish or brownish-orange hue of the lunar surface seen during totality is caused by the sun’s rays being refracted through Earth’s atmosphere, just as we see spectacular red sunsets at night. The next lunar eclipse will be only a slight partial 12% on October 28, 2023, visible from the Atlantic provinces. The next total eclipse that all of North America will be able to witness will be on March 14, 2025.
In the Pacific time zone, the partial penumbral eclipse begins at 1:09 am. The moon will rise when the eclipse begins.
The total lunar eclipse begins at 2:16 a.m. and the moon will turn dark orange or red. The greatest eclipse, or midpoint, will occur at 2:59 am
The total lunar eclipse ends at 3:41 a.m., when the moon begins to leave the shadow. The partial umbral eclipse ends at 4:49 a.m., when the moon leaves Earth’s shadow.
Known as “The Backyard Astronomer,” Gary Boyle is an astronomy educator, guest speaker, and monthly columnist for the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, as well as a STEM educator. In recognition of his public outreach in astronomy, the International Astronomical Union has honored him with the name of asteroid (22406) Garyboyle. Follow him on Twitter @astroeducator, on Facebook at Gary Boyle (The Backyard Astronomer) and on his website at www.wondersofaastronomy.com.
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