March Lunar and Solar Eclipses

On the night of March 13 into the morning of March 14, 2025, as most of North America is fast asleep, the Full Worm Moon will slide into the Earth’s shadow producing a spectacular total lunar eclipse. Referred to as the ‘Blood Moon’ the orange tint on the moon’s surface during totality is refracted sunlight passing through Earth’s atmosphere, much like we see beautiful red sunsets.

So why do we not see eclipses every month? The sun projects a shadow behind the Earth in space. As the moon circles the Earth in 29.5 days from one full phase to the next full phase, it does so in a slightly inclined orbit. Meaning one month the full moon appears above the shadow while other months appear below the zone of darkness. When the geometry is just right, the full moon hides in our planet’s shadow for up to three and a half hours.

Two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse the moon now passes in front of the sun to produce a solar eclipse. This will be the case in the early morning of March 29 favouring the Atlantic provinces and Quebec. For example, St John’s NF should see about 90% of the sun disappear whereas Halifax, NS will see about 85% coverage. Montreal will experience 50% coverage while Toronto will only see a tiny bite taken out of the sun. Those farther west will not see the solar eclipse at all.

Safety wise the lunar eclipse is very safe to observe as the full moon slowly changes colour as the night progresses. However, a solar eclipse can be a beautiful but dangerous thing to observe. Special eclipse glasses or even #14 welder’s glass are a must until the sun is completely covered by the moon. There are times when only a partial eclipse occurs and one must never look at the sun without these protective means no matter how small the percentage of sunlight is still visible. Eye damage or even blindness can occur.

Lunar Eclipse Times (local)

Eastern:
Begins:                01:09 a.m. morning of March 14
Mid eclipse:       02:58 a.m.
Ends:                   04:47 a.m.
Solar eclipse time (local)

Ontario:
Begins:                 Eclipse underway at sunrise.
Mid eclipse:         7:06 a.m.
Ends:                     7:10 a.m.

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Gary Boyle

Known as “The Backyard Astronomer”, Gary Boyle is an astronomy educator, guest speaker and monthly columnist for the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. He has been interviewed on more than 50 Canadian radio stations and local Ottawa TV. In recognition of his public outreach in astronomy, the International Astronomical Union has honoured him with the naming of Asteroid (22406) Garyboyle. Follow him on Twitter: @astroeducator or his website: www.wondersofastronomy.com

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