The total lunar eclipse can be seen from Toronto and this is when the moon turns red

The total lunar eclipse will be visible from Toronto this week.

If you look to the night sky, you can watch as the moon turns red!

This lunar eclipse in Toronto starts late on Thursday, March 13, continues overnight and ends in the morning on Friday, March 14, 2025.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth comes between the sun and the moon.

The planet's shadow covers the moon and changes the colour that is seen reflected off the lunar surface.

The moon turns red when the eclipse reaches totality, which is why total lunar eclipses are also called blood moons.

Here are the times of the eclipse phases in Toronto on March 13 and March 14, 2025:

• penumbral eclipse starts at 11:57 p.m. ET
• partial eclipse starts at 1:09 a.m. ET
• total eclipse starts at 2:25 a.m. ET
• maximum eclipse at 2:59 a.m. ET
• total eclipse ends at 3:31 a.m. ET
• partial eclipse ends at 4:47 a.m. ET
• penumbral eclipse ends at 6 a.m. ET

The moon will turn red during the totality phase, which lasts for more than an hour.

When the eclipse maximum happens at 2:59 a.m. ET, the entire moon will be red in the sky over Toronto.

You can see a total lunar eclipse with no special equipment. So, a telescope, binoculars, or eclipse glasses aren't required.

But if you want to have the best chances of seeing the blood moon, you should find somewhere with little to no light pollution.

Also, check the weather forecast because widespread cloud cover could block the eclipse.

According to Forbes, there is a chance to see stars, the Milky Way and the northern lights alongside the total lunar eclipse.

Since the light of the full moon will be dimmed and then almost completely gone during the eclipse, constellations like Leo and traces of the Milky Way could be visible near the moon.

If geomagnetic activity is intense enough, you might even be able to see the northern lights from Toronto along the northern horizon!