On the night of August 27-28, a significant partial lunar eclipse will be visible throughout the country. This event follows closely after a recent total solar eclipse observed in Iceland, Spain, and a portion of Portugal. Despite being a partial eclipse, it will be notably deep, with a peak coverage of 93 percent.

Lunar eclipses occur when the moon passes through Earth’s shadow, known as the umbra. Before entering the umbra, the moon traverses through Earth’s outer, fainter shadow, called the penumbra, which is challenging to see with the naked eye due to its dimness.

Most regions in Canada will witness the entire eclipse duration, while Western Canada will observe the partial eclipse as the moon rises. Unlike solar eclipses, a protective eyewear is unnecessary to view a lunar eclipse, and the event unfolds over hours rather than minutes.

The eclipse will commence as the moon enters Earth’s penumbra around 10 p.m. ET, with the visible phase starting at 10:33 p.m. ET on August 27 and concluding at 1:52 a.m. on August 28. The deepest eclipse moment will occur at 12:13 a.m., darkening almost the entire moon.

This lunar eclipse will be visible across North and South America. According to Elaina Hyde, director of the Allan I. Carswell Observatory at York University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, this event adds to the array of astronomical occurrences this month, following the partial solar eclipse on August 12 and the recent Jupiter-Mercury conjunction.

While not a “blood moon” due to its partial nature, the eclipse may still exhibit a reddish hue in certain Canadian locations. Lunar eclipses are accessible with the naked eye, but observers with binoculars, a small telescope, or a camera with a night mode can capture impressive images.

This celestial event offers an exciting opportunity for stargazers to witness a captivating astronomical phenomenon.