Last total lunar eclipse in 3 years takes over pre-dawn sky
Posted November 8, 2022 8:01 am.
Last Updated November 8, 2022 8:15 am.
Early risers were treated to a rare sight on Tuesday morning in the form of the final total lunar eclipse for several years.
It was perfect conditions for sky watchers in the GTA with clear skies through the early morning hours.
“As the morning progressed we started to see it reach its full bright red, copper orange,” said CityNews meteorologist Jill Taylor, who had her eye on the sky. “Not quite as bright as I’ve seen in past years but still spectacular.”
The event began just after 3 a.m. EST and reached its maximum just before 6 a.m. EST.
Moon at max totality as of about 5:59am Nov 8 #Toronto #TotalLunarEclipse2022
It’s a cool 3°C right now. Dress for a wind chill near 0 pic.twitter.com/UYZtUexw5g— Jill Taylor (@JillTaylorCity) November 8, 2022
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, earth, and moon align so that the Moon passes into Earth’s shadow. Due to the reddish colour lunar eclipses are often called “blood moons.”
According to NASA, the eclipse began at approximately 3:02 a.m. as the moon entered the outer part of the earth’s shadow and ended around 6:42 a.m. when the moon sets.
During a lunar eclipse, the Moon turns red because the only sunlight reaching the Moon passes through Earth’s atmosphere.
“Light travels in waves, and different colors of light have different physical properties,” NASA says. “Blue light has a shorter wavelength and is scattered more easily by particles in Earth’s atmosphere than red light, which has a longer wavelength.”
If you missed the celestial event you won’t be able to view another total lunar eclipse until March 14, 2025.
And now for something completely different: #LunarEclipse as seen over #toronto skyline#appreciatebeauty#appreciatenature pic.twitter.com/OY9AIh8lSo
— osstfkaren (@karenosstf) November 8, 2022
This morning's total lunar eclipse as seen from Toronto, Canada. #LunarEclipse#lunareclipse2022 pic.twitter.com/u94wQ8jiVV
— Terry McBurnie (@TMcBphoto) November 8, 2022
Lunar eclipse at 5:35am over Toronto pic.twitter.com/uJb821ntnA
— Dave Agar (@dave1agar) November 8, 2022
