A mysterious red sphere was seen floating ominously among the stars early Friday morning, March 14, 2025. Except this strange sphere was no mystery— it was actually the ‘Blood Worm Moon,’ which was a total lunar eclipse named after its vibrant red hue and the time of year in which it occurred. This was the first total lunar eclipse in three years, and the phenomenon will not return for another four. Nonetheless, do not fret if you missed this astronomical spectacle, as there are many more to come this year!
There is never a dull moment when it comes to the sky, always busy presenting beautiful marvels to the human eye. One of these notable celestial experiences are lunar eclipses, which occur when Earth blocks the sun from the moon. Where the moon’s usual bright white glow comes from its reflection of sunlight, during an eclipse, this light is dampened by Earth’s atmosphere. The long-wavelength red light casts a crimson tinge on the moon. The specific shade of red that is projected depends on how much of the moon gets shadowed by Earth and the atmospheric contents, including water vapour and dust particles.
The total lunar eclipse on March 14 was observable for most of North and South America when the moon was full. Over the Tantramar region, the night sky was completely clear, allowing for a perfect view of the moon and stars. Beginning just after midnight, Earth began to shadow the moon, noticeably darkening its edge. As it approached the eclipse’s peak, the moon slowly entered deeper into the planet’s umbra, causing it to emanate a ‘blood’-red glow that was as alluring as it was eerie. From 4 a.m. to 7 a.m., the moon crept out of the Earth’s umbra (the central and darkest part of its shadow) and back into the sun’s light. This experience was both captivating and mystifying, likely attributable to the quaint ambiance of the night with no noise and not a breath of wind. When the next lunar eclipse takes place, it would certainly be worth the late night or early morning alarm.
This event will not be the only eclipse taking place this March. In fact, a partial solar eclipse will occur on March 28, 2025, coincidentally around the same time of year as the 2024 total solar eclipse, which was on April 8. This partial solar eclipse will be at 80 per cent obscuration, meaning that most of the sun will be obscured by the moon. For Tantramar, it will begin at sunrise and reach its peak at 6:27 a.m. Following this event, the next partial solar eclipse will not occur until August 2026.
Furthermore, an abundance of meteor showers will transpire throughout the remainder of the year. The Lyrids meteor shower is expected to peak between April 21 and 22, Eta Aquarids will peak between May 5 and 6, Perseids will peak between August 12 and 13, and many more will reach their maximum near the end of the year.
Although lunar eclipses are far more common than solar eclipses, they are still worth the watch. Even if you are not a night owl, and find it difficult to keep your eyes open at odd hours of the night, it is an incredible opportunity to be able to observe phenomena like these. If the conditions are right, you should take advantage of them with every chance that you get. With that being said, check timeanddate.com or the Time and Date app to receive updates and mark your calendars for the stellar events to come.
