by A blood moon total lunar eclipse will occur this weekend, and here’s when to watch it.
The sun, moon and Earth will line up Sunday night for a total lunar eclipse on May 15, which occurs when Earth moves between the sun and the full moon. As a result, Earth casts a giant shadow on the lunar surface, giving the moon a striking reddish hue, which is why lunar eclipses are also known as blood moons.
Sunday’s full moon is also considered a supermoon, meaning it appears larger and brighter than normal because it’s closest to Earth in its orbit, also known as perigee.
The total lunar eclipse will be visible from parts of the Americas, Antarctica, Europe, Africa, and the eastern Pacific. Meanwhile, a penumbral eclipse, where the outer part of Earth’s shadow covers the moon, will be visible in New Zealand, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Related: How to watch the Super Flower Blood Moon lunar eclipse online
If you’re looking to photograph the moon, check out our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography. Read our guides on how to photograph a lunar eclipse and how to photograph the moon with a camera for some helpful tips on planning your lunar photo shoot.
Superflower Blood Moon Eclipse
If you take a photo of the 2021 total lunar eclipse, please let us know! You can send images and comments to spacephotos@space.com.
Depending on your location, a partial lunar eclipse begins May 15 at 10:28 p.m. EDT (0228 GMT on May 16). The Blood Moon will reach its peak at 00:11 EDT (0411 GMT) on May 16 before the lunar eclipse ends at 1:55 a.m. EDT (0555 GMT). The penumbral phase of the eclipse moon will begin about an hour before and end about an hour after the partial eclipse, according to TimeandDate.com.
Spectators lucky enough to be in the path of the lunar eclipse will have to leave early to witness the event. There will also be some live streams available on YouTube from NASA Science Live, Slooh and TimeandDate.com.
Related: 2022 Blood Moon Super Flower Stages Explained
NASA live stream starts at 9:32 pm on May 15 (01:32 GMT on May 16). It will include a discussion of eclipses, lunar science and the agency’s Artemis lunar landing program. Slooh, an astronomy learning website, will begin its webcast on May 15 at 9:30 pm EDT (May 16 0130 GMT). TimeandDate plans to broadcast the entire lunar eclipse, weather permitting, as of 22:00 EDT on May 15 (02:00 GMT on May 16).
This will be the first of two lunar eclipses in 2022. The next one will take place on November 8, 2022 and will be at least partially visible from Asia, Australia, North America, parts of northern and eastern Europe, the Arctic and most of South America, according to timeanddate.com.
Publisher’s note: If you take an amazing photo of a lunar eclipse and want to share it with Space.com readers, please send your photos, comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
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