On Wednesday, May 26, we'll be treated to a Super Blood Moon. This total lunar eclipse will be "super" because it's a full moon coinciding with the time that the moon is closest to Earth during its orbit. But what's the blood all about? From the Planetary Society:
During a total lunar eclipse, the darkest portion of Earth's shadow completely covers the Moon. You might assume that the Moon would be dark during this time but that's not the case. Some sunlight still reaches the Moon's surface after bouncing through the edges of Earth's atmosphere.
Our atmosphere scatters blue light, which is why the sky looks blue during the day. At sunrise and sunset when the Sun is low on the horizon, the sunlight reaching you has passed through even more atmosphere. This scatters away most of the blue light, creating red-tinged skies and beautiful sunsets.
The same thing happens during a lunar eclipse. Although the Moon is in shadow, the edges of Earth's atmosphere still scatter some red light onto the Moon's surface. The actual term blood Moon dates back to at least biblical times and has been tied to the apocalypse.
Here's when to look, from Astronomy.com:
The total lunar eclipse on Wednesday (May 26) will be visible in western North and South America, the Pacific Ocean, Australasia, and eastern Asia. In the U.S., the eclipse occurs around moonset. Those in the Eastern time zone will unfortunately miss the event entirely, while observers in Midwestern states might catch the early phases, depending on location. The farther west you are, the more of the event you'll see.
Partial eclipse begins: 2:45 A.M. PDT
Total eclipse begins: 4:11 A.M. PDT
Total eclipse ends: 4:26 A.M. PDT
Partial eclipse ends: 5:52 A.M. PDT
image: "Totality during the lunar eclipse of 21 January 2019" by Giuseppe Donatiello (CC0)
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