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Look up, Ottawa: Lunar eclipse coming Jan. 20, and the next one isn't until 2022
Lunar eclipse.John Worrall
There’s a total eclipse of the moon coming the night of Jan. 20-21, easily visible from Eastern Ontario if the weather is clear.
It will be the last eclipse visible from Ottawa until 2022. To have the best view of this one, you probably want to stay up until midnight.
Lunar eclipses aren’t as rare as solar eclipses and they are a lot easier to watch because you don’t need safety equipment. You are looking at the moon, not at the sun.
Ottawa astronomer Gary Boyle explains: “An eclipse is a result of the perfect lineup of the sun, Earth and moon. This does not occur every month as our moon has a slight incline in its orbit and often misses Earth’s shadow.
“During totality (the time when the entire moon is covered by Earth’s shadow) the lunar surface turns a copper orange due to sunlight refracting or passing through our atmosphere much like those hot summer sunsets on Earth.
“If you were on the moon, you would see an orange ring around the Earth,” he notes.
So, where and when?
Where: Any clear vantage point will do, especially out in the country away from electric lights.
The Canada Aviation and Space Museum along with the Ottawa Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada will set up telescopes at the museum for public viewing if the weather is clear, starting at 10:30 p.m. on eclipse night.
Time: The full moon begins to move into our shadow at 10:34 p.m., though all you see at first is a little dimming of one edge of the moon.
At 11:41 p.m., the entire moon is in Earth’s shadow.
The moon reaches the exact centre of the shadow at 12:12 a.m. on Jan. 21. The “total” part of the eclipse ends at 12:43 a.m. and the whole show is over at 1:51 a.m.
These events bring out internet excitement: the British Daily Mail tabloid consulted an astrologer about one full moon last year and is already breathlessly calling this event a “Super Blood Wolf Moon.”
But for real astronomers, a lunar eclipse isn’t a scientifically important event. It’s just pretty to look at.
Other celestial events of 2019:
Jan. 22: The planets Jupiter and Venus will appear very close together in the early morning sky, called a conjunction. Look southeast. The crescent moon will pass by them as they drift farther apart on Jan. 30. Venus is already very bright in the morning sky now.
Aug. 13: Peak night of the annual Perseid meteor shower. Lots of shooting stars easily seen with the naked eye as Earth passes through dusty debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle.
Aug. 24: Venus appears fairly close to Mars, though they will not be as close as the January conjunction with Jupiter.
Nov. 11: Transit of Mercury: The planet Mercury will pass directly between the Earth and the Sun during our daylight. Viewers with telescopes and solar filters will be able to spot a dark spot move slowly across the sun. Visible from Ottawa.
Nov. 24: Venus and Jupiter have another very close appearance.
Dec. 14: Peak night of the annual Geminid meteor shower. Not as busy as the Perseids, but still a good show.
There will also be two events not visible from this region: a partial lunar eclipse July 16 and a solar eclipse Dec. 25.
Look up, Ottawa: Lunar eclipse coming Jan. 20, and the next one isn't until 2022
- BY TOM SPEARS
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: JAN 7, 2019
Lunar eclipse.John Worrall
There’s a total eclipse of the moon coming the night of Jan. 20-21, easily visible from Eastern Ontario if the weather is clear.
It will be the last eclipse visible from Ottawa until 2022. To have the best view of this one, you probably want to stay up until midnight.
Lunar eclipses aren’t as rare as solar eclipses and they are a lot easier to watch because you don’t need safety equipment. You are looking at the moon, not at the sun.
Ottawa astronomer Gary Boyle explains: “An eclipse is a result of the perfect lineup of the sun, Earth and moon. This does not occur every month as our moon has a slight incline in its orbit and often misses Earth’s shadow.
“During totality (the time when the entire moon is covered by Earth’s shadow) the lunar surface turns a copper orange due to sunlight refracting or passing through our atmosphere much like those hot summer sunsets on Earth.
“If you were on the moon, you would see an orange ring around the Earth,” he notes.
So, where and when?
Where: Any clear vantage point will do, especially out in the country away from electric lights.
The Canada Aviation and Space Museum along with the Ottawa Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada will set up telescopes at the museum for public viewing if the weather is clear, starting at 10:30 p.m. on eclipse night.
Time: The full moon begins to move into our shadow at 10:34 p.m., though all you see at first is a little dimming of one edge of the moon.
At 11:41 p.m., the entire moon is in Earth’s shadow.
The moon reaches the exact centre of the shadow at 12:12 a.m. on Jan. 21. The “total” part of the eclipse ends at 12:43 a.m. and the whole show is over at 1:51 a.m.
These events bring out internet excitement: the British Daily Mail tabloid consulted an astrologer about one full moon last year and is already breathlessly calling this event a “Super Blood Wolf Moon.”
But for real astronomers, a lunar eclipse isn’t a scientifically important event. It’s just pretty to look at.
Other celestial events of 2019:
Jan. 22: The planets Jupiter and Venus will appear very close together in the early morning sky, called a conjunction. Look southeast. The crescent moon will pass by them as they drift farther apart on Jan. 30. Venus is already very bright in the morning sky now.
Aug. 13: Peak night of the annual Perseid meteor shower. Lots of shooting stars easily seen with the naked eye as Earth passes through dusty debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle.
Aug. 24: Venus appears fairly close to Mars, though they will not be as close as the January conjunction with Jupiter.
Nov. 11: Transit of Mercury: The planet Mercury will pass directly between the Earth and the Sun during our daylight. Viewers with telescopes and solar filters will be able to spot a dark spot move slowly across the sun. Visible from Ottawa.
Nov. 24: Venus and Jupiter have another very close appearance.
Dec. 14: Peak night of the annual Geminid meteor shower. Not as busy as the Perseids, but still a good show.
There will also be two events not visible from this region: a partial lunar eclipse July 16 and a solar eclipse Dec. 25.
