You can watch a lunar eclipse that turns the Flower Moon red on May 15 or 16, depending on your location, and it’s even streamed online in case you can’t see it in person.
This will be the first of just two lunar eclipses in 2022, and the only one visible to people in North America this year, so be sure not to miss what happens when the new moon passes through Earth’s shadow.
Depending on where you are, the eclipse can be total or penumbral; the latter happens when only the edge of the Earth’s shadow falls on the moon. At least part of the fully eclipsed lunar phase will be visible from parts of the Americas, Antarctica, Europe, Africa, and the eastern Pacific, while those of New Zealand, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East will enjoy the penumbral eclipse.
The partial eclipse officially begins on May 15 at 10:28 p.m. EDT (0228 GMT on May 16), according to TimeandDate.com. The so-called Blood Moon (total phase) of the eclipse will peak at 12:11 a.m. EDT (0411 GMT), and the eclipse will end at 1:55 a.m. EDT (0555 GMT). The penumbral eclipse will begin and end about an hour after the partial eclipse.
Lunar eclipses are completely safe to view with the naked eye or with binoculars or a telescope. Also, unlike solar eclipses, they typically last several hours, so you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the show. That said, if the weather is unpredictable or you can’t easily see the eclipse in your area, webcasts are available to help.
NASA Science Live plans a YouTube broadcast beginning at 9:32 p.m. EDT on May 15 (01:32 GMT on May 16), including live chat and discussion of the agency’s Artemis lunar landing program. for astronauts.
Other YouTube broadcasts are available with astronomy webcaster Slooh starting at 9:30 p.m. EDT (May 16 0130 GMT), and with TimeandDate.com half an hour later starting at 10 p.m. EDT on May 15 ( 0200 GMT on May 16). Slooh will stream the totality phase, before switching to a members-only Discord channel, while TimeandDate.com plans to show the entire eclipse, weather permitting.
The next and last lunar eclipse of 2022 will take place on November 8, 2022. It will be at least partially visible from Asia, Australia, North America, parts of northern and eastern Europe, the Arctic, and most of South America.
Publisher’s note: If you take an amazing photo of a lunar eclipse and want to share it with WordsSideKick.com readers, please send your photos, comments, and your name and location to community@livescience.com.
Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace.
