Montréal is a uniquely perfect city to see the Red Moon
This article was published on September 26, 2023.
Many Montréal locals and tourists hike up to the Kondiaronk Belvedere. It’s worth it: they’re greeted with a gorgeous view of downtown. But if you time it just right, you can catch another stunning sight: the full Moon rising over the horizon, looking red and enormous.
The Kondiaronk Belvedere looks towards the east, which is the direction the Sun rises every morning. It’s also the same direction that the Moon rises. On the nights of the full Moon, as the Sun sets in the west, the Moon will rise in the east.
When the Moon first appears, it’ll appear huge. Why? It’s a trick of the human brain. When the Moon is low, we can compare it to the mountains and buildings, and it just appears larger. Later in the evening, when the Moon is high in the sky, it’ll appear smaller. This is called The Moon Illusion.
Another thing happens when the Moon is low: it appears red. This is because the light from the Moon has to go through more air to reach your eyes, and only the red light is able to withstand the journey. As the Moon gets higher, the orange and yellow light is able to reach your eyes, and the Moon takes on those colours. Eventually, the Moon gets high enough to appears its normal white colour.
In short, it’s a wonderful sight to see for a romantic date or an outing with friends.
You can find what time the full Moon will rise each month using this site. Find the date with the white circle next to it – that’s the day of the full Moon. To the right, see what time it rises (notice that it’s always around sunset time!)
Be sure to arrive at the Kondiaronk Belvedere a few minutes beforehand and keep your eyes peeled to the east. If it’s a clear night, it’ll be hard to miss.
You can also join a guided walking tour and learn all about the Moon, how to use free smartphone astronomy apps, and a whole lot more with Plateau Astro, a local small business devoted to teaching people about the urban night sky.
In spring, summer, and autumn, Plateau Astro leads a group up Mount Royal to the lookout on the full Moon to show folks this breath-taking phenomenon. Tours last about two hours and when the Moon finally appears, you can get a close look at it through a telescope (and even get a close-up photo of the Moon through the scope with your phone!)
Visit Plateau Astro to find out when the next Moonrise and other astronomy workshops will be and book your spot early. Groups are kept small and spaces fill up quickly.
We’re lucky in Montréal to have Mount Royal. It’s centrally located, publicly accessible, and has several incredible lookouts to watch sunrises and sunsets. But the Kondiaronk Belvedere gives us a magical view of moonrise each month, for those willing to find it.
Trevor Kjorlien
Trevor Kjorlien is a space educator living in Montréal. He does mobile planetarium shows, workshops, and presentations teaching about space, astronomy and what we can see in the urban night sky with his one-person company, Plateau Astro. He is a recurring guest and contributor to CBC, CTV, Global, and other Montréal news media.