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Rachel Ward-Maxwell, researcher-programmer of astronomy and space sciences at the Ontario Science Centre, said all of Canada will be able to enjoy the total lunar eclipse set to take place on March 13-14.

“It’s just really striking to behold that bite that’s being taken out of the moon as the Earth’s shadow falls on its face,” she said.

What is a total lunar eclipse?

A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth passes between the moon and the sun. The moon will pass through the shadow cast by Earth, resulting in the lunar eclipse.

For a total lunar eclipse to happen, the moon needs to be full when the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun.

When will the total lunar eclipse happen — and how long will it last?

The first phase of the lunar eclipse begins just before midnight on March 13 and will last until it goes through its final phases in the early morning hours of March 14.Ìý

Lunar eclipses go through three phases: the penumbral eclipse when the moon crosses Earth’s penumbra, the partial eclipse, when the moon partially crosses Earth’s umbra and the total eclipse phase when marking the end of the lunar eclipse.Ìý

Ward-Maxwell said for folks in Ontario the partial lunar eclipse will start out at 1:09 a.m. on March 14 as it moves toward totality.

“Unlike a solar eclipse, you have a really long window to see totality,” she said.ÌýTypically, all three phases of a total lunar eclipse will last between 30 and 60 minutes, according to the Canadian Space Agency.

Skywatchers in Ontario will have roughly over an hour to see totality.ÌýTotality will begin at 2:26 a.m. ET and end at 3:31 a.m. on March 14.

“It’ll be a late night, but quite the view,” said Ward-Maxwell.

Where should I look to see the lunar eclipse?

Ward-Maxwell said wherever you are in Canada and Ontario, you should be able to head outside during the eclipse and look toward the southern sky.

Who will get to see the lunar eclipse?

When a lunar eclipse happens the entire hemisphere of the Earth that is experiencing nighttime, will get to witness the eclipse, explains Ward-Maxwell.Ìý

Locations in the Pacific, Americas, Western Europe and Western Africa will get to see the total lunar eclipse, .

If you live in southern Ontario, including in Toronto, Oshawa, Barrie, Brampton, Waterloo, Hamilton, Windsor, Peterborough, the Ottawa Valley, Northumberland, North Bay, Huntsville, Gravenhurst, Parry Sound, Mississauga, Oakville, you’ll get to see the total lunar eclipse.Ìý

Regions that will get to see at least parts of the eclipse are Europe, much of Asia, much of Australia, much of Africa, North America, South America, Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic and Antarctica, according to .Ìý

Why will the moon look red during the lunar eclipse?

The says sunlight is refracted through the Earth’s atmosphere and gives the moon a red hue, which is where the term “blood moon” comes from.

Ward-Maxwell said the “blood moon” effect always happens with a total lunar eclipse.

“It’s an incredible phenomenon that’s caused by the Earth’s atmosphere,” she said.Ìý

Ward-Maxwell said it will look like the moon is disappearing as it gets darker, but then once the moon is completely bathed in the Earth’s shadow the light from our sun scatters through the earth’s atmosphere and will cause the moon to turn a red colour during totality.

The sunlight that passes through Earth’s atmosphere reaches the moon’s surface and causes it to glow very dimly. Sunlight is made up of a whole spectrum of colours — the whole rainbow, in fact.

Ward-Maxwell said colours with shorter wavelengths such as blues and violets scatter away very easily but the reds and orange wavelengths of light carry on to the moon and bath it in a reddish orange light creating the blood moon effect.

“It’s the same phenomenon that makes our skies blue and our sunsets red,” she said.

This effect is seen at the eclipse’s totality. The Earth’s atmosphere is the reason why the moon doesn’t disappear completely during an eclipse.Ìý

The next lunar eclipse will be visible in Canada on March 2, 2026.