March is a great month for skywatchers.
It starts with a lunar eclipse at 11:57 p.m. EST Thursday that should last for about an hour.
Elaina Hyde, the director of the Allan Carswell Observatory at York University, tells 680 NewsRadio it’s truly an event for everyone.
“Everybody on the nighttime facing side of earth – or almost everyone – will be able to actually see the moon and so lots of people can view it … if everyone who could looked up, it would be about a billion people could actually view it,” Hyde says.
Hyde, who is also an associate professor in the Faculty of Science, Physics and Astronomy department at York U, says “Since this eclipse is a large event, covering the entire moon, it does not need any special equipment to be able to see it – you can view it nearly anywhere if the skies are clear but you’ll get a better show if you can get out to a park or dark sky site.”
She’s encouraging people to set an alarm to wake yourself up to watch it.
“For Toronto this is going to be the best chance we’re going to get all year” to see it.
The Allan Carswell Observatory will be posting images from across Ontario, as well as a livestream, as long as the skies are clear.
The edge of the Earth’s shadow will first touch the moon at 11:57 p.m. EST and by 2:26 a.m., the moon will be completely in the shadow of the planet. The moon will begin to emerge by 6 a.m. Friday and will be back to its usual bright colour.
The celestial celebration continues on March 23, when Saturn’s famous rings will appear to disappear.
“Saturn’s rings are very thin compared to the planet itself. The rings will be very close to exactly aligned to Earth since both Earth and Saturn have a tilt to their planetary axis,” Hyde says.
Hyde says the rings will slowly start to become visible again in April.