“The sun’s rays, which illuminate the face of the moon, travel through the Earth’s atmosphere, so you get the effect of refraction through the Earth’s atmosphere,” Anderson says, “Plus all the sun rises and sets. happening all over the Earth shine in the moon. This is a magical idea.” He adds that lunar eclipses can be viewed safely without any protective devices, unlike solar eclipses. The good news, Anderson says, is that the blood moon will be visible from almost anywhere in Southern Alberta. However, there is a part of town where he likes to look at the moon. “If you live on the west side, anywhere along the side of the road, the University [of Lethbridge] they’re all great places to look at the moon,” Anderson says. “If you’re into photography, this can give you a really nice shot of the deep bronze blood moon over the cityscape.” Anderson says most moon cycles are given names based on what is generally happening in nature at the time the event occurs. In this case, it’s called a “beaver moon” because beavers are settling in for the winter. There’s no guarantee, however, that Southern Albertans will be able to see the beaver moon at all. Environment Canada is forecasting periods of light snow in Lethbridge Monday afternoon, then partly cloudy with a 30% chance of flurries overnight. If the skies clear, Anderson says people should be able to get a good view of the eclipse. While lunar eclipses happen every month or so, Anderson says total lunar eclipses happen about every two and a half years. The next one is expected to take place on March 14, 2025. READ MORE: Winter weather leads to road closures and crashes
