Watch a Rare Lunar Eclipse at Telus WorlD of Science on March 13/14
On Thursday, March 13 through the overnight hours till the morning of Friday, March 14, if we have clear skies, Albertans will be able to see the Moon move into the shadow of the Earth, for a somewhat rare total lunar eclipse. The following are times for the event for anyone in Alberta:
Penumbral lunar eclipse begins 9:57 p.m. MDT - March 13
Partial lunar eclipse begins 11:09 p.m. MDT
Total lunar eclipse begins 12:26 a.m. MDT - March 14
Mid-eclipse 12:58 a.m. MDT
Total lunar eclipse ends 1:31 a.m. MDT
Partial lunar eclipse ends 2:47 a.m. MDT
Total Lunar Eclipse duration - one (1) hour and five (5) minutes.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon travels through the Earth's shadow in space and occurs only when we have the right alignment between the Sun, the Earth and the Moon. During the total eclipse portion, the Moon will have completely entered the Earth's dark (umbral) shadow making the Moon take on a dark red or rusty appearance.
Although no direct sunlight is reaching the Moon during the umbral eclipse., the Moon does become illuminated by a small amount of long wavelength (red) sunlight refracting through the Earth's atmosphere.
After the total lunar eclipse ends, we will begin to see the Moon slowly unveil itself out of the Earth's umbral shadow. After the partial umbral eclipse ends, we will again see the Full Moon of March now as the worm Moon brightly shining in the evening sky.
The next total lunar eclipse visible from Alberta after this one will take place on March 2, 2026.
Viewing a lunar eclipse will require no special filters or optical instruments. It is entirely safe to watch with your eyes alone, unlike a solar eclipse. Telescopes and binoculars will show you greater details on the Moon but are not necessary to view a lunar eclipse.
Guests are invited to watch the lunar eclipsed through telescopes set up at TELUS World of Science - Edmonton. TELUS World of Science - Edmonton and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (Edmonton Centre) will be on site in Coronation Park from 10:00 p.m. until 3:00 a.m., clear skies permitting.
