A captivating celestial event will grace the Canadian skies late Thursday night and into early Friday morning as the full moon takes on a mesmerizing reddish hue during a total lunar eclipse. Known as the “blood worm moon,” this phenomenon results from the Earth blocking sunlight from reaching the moon, with only scattered light from sunrises and sunsets casting a coppery glow.
The eerie nickname stems from Indigenous traditions, with the “worm moon” moniker linked to the emergence of earthworms in spring, particularly in the southern U.S. Other cultures have their own interpretations, such as the Mi’kmaq’s “maple sugar moon” or the northeastern U.S. tribes’ “crow moon.”
According to NASA, the last time a total lunar eclipse occurred in March was in 1978, though visibility was limited across North America. The Danjon scale will determine the moon’s exact shade after the eclipse, ranging from barely visible to deep copper red.
For skywatchers in Canada, the event will be visible without any special equipment, and light pollution won’t interfere. The eclipse will last just over an hour, with peak totality times as follows:
- Newfoundland: 3:56 a.m. – 5:01 a.m. (March 14)
- Eastern: 2:26 a.m. – 3:31 a.m. (March 14)
- Central: 1:26 a.m. – 2:31 a.m. (March 14)
- Mountain: 12:26 a.m. – 1:31 a.m. (March 14)
- Pacific: 11:26 p.m. (March 13) – 12:31 a.m. (March 14)
Canadians can look forward to witnessing this rare celestial transformation as the moon shifts from a bright silver disc to an ethereal, glowing sphere in the night sky.
Source: Swifteradio.com
