What is a “blood moon”? A total lunar eclipse is an event in which the Moon enters the shadow of the Earth in … [+] the space eventually becomes completely darkened – and becomes a reddish-orange color.
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On Sunday, May 15, and Monday, May 16, 2022, a long total lunar eclipse – “Blood Moon” – will be visible in North America.
Here’s everything you’ve ever wanted to ask about this great heavenly event:
What is a bloody moon eclipse?
This is a total lunar eclipse, which occurs when the Earth is right between the Sun and the full moon. During the event, the Moon moves in the shadow of the Earth and becomes a reddish color for everything from a few minutes to several hours.
MORE THAN FORBEST Total Lunar Eclipse 2022: Exactly when, where and how you can see the best “blood moon” of the century next week By Jamie Carter
Are lunar eclipses from the “blood moon” dangerous?
Is it safe to watch a lunar eclipse? Yes, it is absolutely safe at any time. Eclipse glasses are strictly for solar eclipses! According to NASA, all phases of a lunar eclipse are safe to see, both with the naked eye and through an unfiltered telescope. Watching a total lunar eclipse is no different than watching the moon at any other time. Maybe it’s even safer, because an ordinary full moon can emit a lot of glare. This is not the case with “Bloody Moon”, which will probably look very dark reddish on May 15/16, 2022.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon enters the Earth’s shadow.
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Why do we get “Bloody Moon?”
During a total lunar eclipse, direct sunlight does not reach the lunar surface. The only light that penetrates the surface of the moon is first filtered by the Earth’s atmosphere.
In fact, all sunrises and sunsets on Earth are projected on the lunar surface at once. In an incredible 1 hour and 24 minutes, the Moon will be enveloped in the same reddish orange light you can see just before sunset here on Earth.
Why “blood moon” is red
The completely eclipsed Moon is actually reddish, orange and / or copper in color, not red!
During the Moon’s long journey through the Earth’s shadow, the only light that will reach the lunar surface will first be filtered through the Earth’s atmosphere. The physics are the same as at sunset or sunrise. Blue light with a short wavelength from the Sun hits molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere and is scattered, but red and orange light with a longer wavelength passes mostly straight, hitting fewer molecules. So the dominant color of light that we will see on the moon in this short time will be red … ish.
In fact, during a lunar eclipse, the effect is like thousands of sunrises and sunsets projected onto the lunar surface.
January 21, 2019, North Rhine-Westphalia, Duisburg: Like a red, the so-called “bloody moon”, the full moon … [+] presents himself next to a lighted blast furnace in Duisburg Landscape Park as he steps into the core of the sun’s shadowed land. The shadow of the nucleus covers the visible surface of the moon. The moon, the sun and the earth are exactly in line. Photo: Marcel Cush / dpa (Photo by Marcel Cush / photo union via Getty Images)
alliance for photos through Getty Images
Is this “Blood Moon” also a supermoon?
Technically, yes, but there will be no difference in how someone experiences it. The Moon’s orbit around the Earth is egg-shaped, so that each month it reaches a point where it is furthest (apogee) and closest (perigee). When a full moon falls on or near the perigee date, it can be called a “supermoon” and to qualify for this status, it must be “within 90% of its closest approach to Earth in orbit” according to the definition of astronomer Fred Espenak.
The full color moon will be 225,015 miles / 362,127 km from Earth on May 16, 2022, so technically this is a “supermoon”, although full moons in June, July and August 2022 are actually more close. The supermoon on July 13 will be the closest supermoon for 2022.
Why is it called “Super Color Bloody Lunar Eclipse”?
“Super” is explained above, but the “flower” comes from the fact that the full moon in May is sometimes called the “Flower Moon”.
In this composite image of the moon through different phases at the beginning, middle and end of … [+] a total lunar eclipse on April 15, 2014, as seen by Magdalena, New Mexico. While the whole event is visible from North and South America, observers of the skies in Northern and Eastern Europe, East Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia will not be lucky, according to NASA. AFP PHOTO / Stan HONDA (Photo by STAN HONDA / AFP) (Photo by STAN HONDA / AFP via Getty Images)
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What will happen during the eclipse of the “Blood Moon”?
A total lunar eclipse is actually three eclipses in one – and it happens in five acts. The event begins when the full moon enters the outer shadow of the Earth – its semi-shadow (penumbrated lunar eclipse). It then begins to enter the inner shadow of the Earth – its dark – and as it does so, it begins to turn red (partial lunar eclipse). Once the whole Moon is inside the blunt, this is the totality – the Moon will have become 100% red.
After 84 spectacular minutes, the whole event will go in the opposite direction, as the Moon will come out of the tone, and then out of the penumbra.
What is the “eclipse season”?
Every 173 days, between 31 and 37 days, the Moon arranges itself perfectly to cross the ecliptic – the visible path of the Sun through our daily sky and the plane of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun. The result, of course, is a short season in which two – and sometimes three – solar and lunar eclipses can occur every two weeks.
Disclaimer: I am the editor of WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com
I wish you clear skies and open eyes.
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