CTV News science and technology expert Dan Riskin says the partial eclipse will be visible from 1 a.m. with the total eclipse between 2:16 a.m. and 3:41 a.m. “There’s something special, if you can handle it, about looking up in the sky and seeing that moon covered by the total eclipse, the shadow of the earth,” he told CTV Morning Live on Monday. “The big huge Earth casts its shadow on the moon, and when the moon is dark, anyone on Earth who can see the moon can see the eclipse happening. It’s not a matter of being in the right place to see the eclipse – if you can see the moon, it works.” However, because of the timing of this particular celestial event, Riskin says British Columbians are at an advantage. “Everybody’s jealous of western North America right now because that’s where the best views are,” Riskin says, suggesting it’s a good opportunity for parents to watch something spectacular with their kids. “I know it’s early, it’s midnight, but if you have a child of an age where you can wake them up to show them and get them back to bed somehow, it’s really nice because you have a sense of place in the solar system.” The early morning forecast for the Lower Mainland is mixed, so there remains the possibility that the region’s visibly cloudy and rainy weather could put a damper on people’s plans. And there are also likely people who just won’t be able to stay awake or set an alarm in the middle of the night. In those cases, Riskin says there are ways to watch it online, and social media will likely be flooded with photos.
WHERE DOES THE NAME COME FROM?
Every full moon in November — whether there’s an eclipse or not — is called a beaver moon, according to Riskin. “Historically, in North America, there was a time when beavers were gathered for their pelts so you had something warm to wear in the winter,” he says. And every total lunar eclipse is called a blood moon because the moon takes on a certain hue. “It’s like a giant sunset across the Earth. It’s bathing the moon in red light, and that’s how you get that blood color.” The next total lunar eclipse is not until 2025.
