A total lunar eclipse, also known as a blood moon, will be visible in Toronto on Thursday night and Friday morning.
The celestial event occurs when Earth comes between the moon and the sun, casting a shadow onto the moon that usually lasts about 30 to 60 minutes, according to the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
During a lunar eclipse, there are three stages: penumbral eclipse, partial eclipse and total eclipse. As these stages occur, sunlight is refracted through Earth's atmosphere onto the moon, giving it a red coppery hue, CSA explains.
"It's like a sunset," said Anthony Farnell, chief meteorologist at Global News. "It's all the Earth sunsets that are going to be portrayed on the moon. That's kind of one way to to think of it."
The total lunar eclipse is expected to reach its peak totality at 2:26 a.m. and last about an hour and five minutes, he said, adding that the partial lunar eclipse should begin just after 1 a.m.
Farnell said it will a viewing experience that requires either waking up really early or going to sleep very late.
Where to watch it?
Lunar eclipses are one of the most easily observable astronomical phenomena as no equipment is needed to watch them. Farnell said viewers should be able to see the blood moon from pretty well anywhere.
The CSA noted that cell phone cameras are useful in capturing the event, under the right circumstances.
Farnell said binoculars and telescopes can also be used to take in the event in more detail.
"The moon you can see even if you're in downtown Toronto," he said. But "it is going to be a bit better as you get outside of the city and away from the lights."
Will the weather cooperate?
Farnell said the big question is whether or not the skies will be clear.
Environment Canada is calling for cloudy periods in the city on Thursday night and Friday morning.
But fret not, Farnell doesn't believe a few clouds are a deal breaker.
"If it takes a few hours, even if it's partly cloudy, you'll get a few clouds coming in front of the moon, but then you get back into clear skies. So it's looking pretty good now across most of southern Ontario," he told TorontoToday.
Temperatures are also expected to stay above freezing during the blood moon.
Thursday night temperatures are expected to reach 3 C, while Friday morning could jump up to 13 C.
Who gets to see this celestial event?
The most recent total lunar eclipse was in 2022 and a partial lunar eclipse last hit North and South American, African and European skies in September 2024.
Farnell said that just over 10 per cent of the world's population will get to see this years blood moon as it covers the Americas.
