Saskatchewan is set to have a front row seat for a partial lunar eclipse overnight Thursday, with more than 90 per cent of the moon covered. A lunar eclipse sees the Earth project its shadow onto the moon, blocking it temporarily from the sun’s glow, sometimes changing its appearance drastically. “The part of the moon still in sunlight will be small enough for observers’ eyes to adapt to darkness and perceive the coppery color of the part of the moon within the umbra,” NASA said. According to Time and Date, the partial lunar eclipse will begin at around 8:30 P.M. and will be most visible in Saskatchewan at 10:12 P.M. Thursday, when the moon is closest to the centre of the shadow. In Saskatchewan, the moon will be 93 per cent covered at the peak. “A solar eclipse is very spectacular, it’s really life changing. A lunar eclipse is just kind of freaky. Like the moon just looks weird,” Samantha Lawler, associate professor of astronomy at the University of Regina, told CTV News earlier this month. Lawler added several other factors can influence the moon’s colouring during a lunar eclipse – including weather and smoke. “Sometimes the moon looks kind of reddish. Sometimes it’s almost not there, except for maybe a little tiny corner. Sometimes it’s kind of bluish and every single time is a little bit different,” Lawler said. Based on information from the Canadian Space Agency, the phenomenon can only happen when the moon is on the opposite side of Earth, during a full moon. The eclipse will be visible across Canada and the U.S. (with the exception of Alaska and northwestern Canada), as well as Central America, South America, western Europe and western Africa. With files from David Prisciak and Jennifer K. Baker
