In the early morning hours of Mar. 14, everyone in the Kitchener-Waterloo region would have been able to see a total lunar eclipse – a phenomenon that occurs when the Earth is in between the moon and the sun and the moon passes through the shadow cast by the Earth.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon, casting a shadow on the Moon. These events happen at least twice a year, but total lunar eclipses are less frequent, occurring roughly once every 2.5 years in any given location. Because the Earth’s shadow is much larger than the Moon’s, a lunar eclipse lasts for several hours and can be viewed by half of the planet at once.

During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon takes on a striking red hue due to Rayleigh scattering and the way Earth’s atmosphere bends sunlight. As the Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon, it blocks direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. However, some sunlight still passes through Earth’s atmosphere, where shorter wavelengths such as blue and violet are scattered away, while longer wavelengths like red and orange are refracted toward the Moon. This filtered light illuminates the Moon with a reddish glow, often referred to as a “Blood Moon.”

The intensity of the red color can vary depending on atmospheric conditions; factors such as dust, pollution, and volcanic activity can enhance the effect, making the Moon appear even deeper in color. Interestingly enough, this same scattering effect is also responsible for the warm hues of sunrises and sunsets on Earth!

Some might remember last April’s solar eclipse, in contrast, being a lot more troublesome to view. A solar eclipse happens when the Moon moves between the Earth and the Sun, blocking sunlight from reaching a specific area on Earth’s surface. Although solar eclipses occur about two to five times per year, total solar eclipses—which completely cover the Sun—happen far less often in any given place, only once every 300 to 400 years on average. This is because the Moon’s shadow is much smaller, creating a narrow path of totality that covers only a small region. This makes it much, much rarer.

For those unable to wake up this time around, the next lunar eclipse visible from the Americas will be on Mar. 2, 2026.