WATERLO REGION – Jim Goetz will look up at the sky on Sunday night to see an orange-red moon, and he encourages others to do the same.
The moon will glow red in the first total lunar eclipse visible in the region in January 2019, said Goetz, a member of the KW astronomical club and a local amateur astronomer.
“The lunar eclipse is really something to see,” Goetz said.
People will be able to see the lunar eclipse from almost anywhere in Canada except the Far North.
An eclipse occurs when the Earth passes between the sun and the moon, casting a shadow on the lunar surface.
“The moon follows this path,” Goetz said.
The total eclipse is set for 23:29 on Sunday, local time.
At this point, the moon will look red. Normal white light combines all frequencies of light – and therefore all colors, but during an eclipse, the only sunlight reaching the moon passes through the Earth’s atmosphere, causing the same reddish light seen at sunrise or sunset.
Southeast-facing binoculars are the best equipment, Goetz said, but everyone will be able to see the red moon with the naked eye.
There is no strict schedule for these lunar events. There is one in November, and then the next is a few years later.
On Sunday evening, the daily temperature will reach 11 degrees with clouds, predicts Environment Canada.
“I still remember this one in 2010, at least it won’t be 10 below,” Goetz said.
Here are the local hours for which the red moonlight will be visible:
Partial eclipse 22:28 – Earth’s shadow begins to cover the moon.
Total eclipse 23:29 – The moon is completely covered by the earth’s shadow.
Partial eclipse 12:54 – The shadow of the Earth begins to move away from the Moon.
End of the partial eclipse 1:55 am – The moon is out of the shadow of the Earth.
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