The partial lunar eclipse phase will begin over North America on May 15 at 9:28 p.m. CDT. The total lunar eclipse will begin at 10:29 p.m. CDT and end around midnight. After the total lunar eclipse, the partial lunar eclipse will end two and a half hours later at 12:56 a.m. on May 16.
This full moon was called the “Flower Moon” by early Native American tribes because it was the time of year when spring flowers bloom.
Astronomers Mitzi Adams and Alphonse Sterling at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center were particularly excited about observing the total lunar eclipse. One of the last such incidents they documented occurred in January 2018. Then, the global COVID-19 pandemic put a damper on the 2020-2021 total lunar eclipse viewing party.
“It’s exciting to go back to hosting an in-person astronomical society, where it’s safer to share telescope eyepieces,” Adams said.
Unlike a total solar eclipse, where the ideal viewing area is limited to a roughly 100-mile-wide “eclipse path” when the moon’s shadow on Earth sweeps across the land relative to the sun’s position, a total lunar eclipse has no such restriction. “Half the planet is in darkness for those hours and will be able to see it,” Sterling said. “You don’t need to try too hard to find a good vantage point. Just get outside!”
What can viewers expect to see? As Earth’s shadow deepens on the Moon’s surface, it will turn a darker red, the intensity of which depends on atmospheric disturbances.
It’s no surprise that observers coined the ominous-sounding phrase “blood moon,” but the effect is completely natural. During a total lunar eclipse, most of the visible spectrum light from the sun is filtered out. Only red and orange wavelengths reach the surface. Blocking the moon’s reflected light has another benefit, Adams said.
“Having a moon means more stars are visible,” she said. “During a total lunar eclipse, if the sky is clear, we can even see the Milky Way itself, which appears as a hazy white galaxy stretching out in a curved arc.”
Sterling noted that the total lunar eclipse lasts for a long time, giving amateurs plenty of time to try and film the event. He recommends experimenting with different exposure times with conventional cameras for maximum effect.
Both he and Adams emphasized the value of putting the camera aside. “Just watching it happen,” Adams said. “Looking at the moon, it’s hard not to think about the people who actually walked there, and those who will soon be walking again — when NASA’s Artemis plans to go to the moon in the next few years. When launching the next human explorer.”
Sterling said the most valuable aspect of the event was the opportunity to spark the curiosity of young people. “We don’t get a lot of groundbreaking astronomical information from total lunar eclipses, but they are a great way to spark discussion and engage future astronomers and explorers,” he said.
You can learn more about the total lunar eclipse in the following video:
