Two events are happening on May 26, making it one of the best days of the year for astronomy lovers.
The full moon will sweep through the Earth's dark shadow, creating a moon's total eclipse. It will be the biggest and brightest full moon of the year: a Supermoon.
You can see the moon passing the Earth's dark shadow and creating a red color, which is why we call it the Blood Moon.
The eclipse is visible in western South America, parts of Central America, and the western United States even without the telescope if the sky is clear.
The previous total eclipse of the moon happened over two years ago, on January 21, 2019.
Total eclipses of supermoons are not rare occasions, as the last occurred less than six years ago, on September 28, 2015.
The eclipse on May 26 will last for 15 minutes, though from start to finish, the moon takes a bit over three hours to pass through the Earth's dark shadow.
The May 26 eclipse is visible for people living in western North America, southern and far-western South America, the Pacific Ocean, New Zealand, Australia, and Southeast Asia.
Supermoon Meets The Eclipse In Flower Moon
This month's full moon is also known as Flower Moon. The name comes from being between after April's Pink Moon and a month before June's Strawberry Moon. Basically, any full moon in May is also called Flower Moon.
Flower Moon dates back to Native American tribes.
While many are excited that this supermoon coincides with a total lunar eclipse, the truth is having that full moon so large and so close works against viewers. It shortens the duration, making it less visible depending on where you live.
A total lunar eclipse is not as dramatic as a total solar eclipse. Yet, this event is beautiful, as some describe it as "projecting all the sunsets and sunrises onto the moon."
Check out the visibility chart, and if you are not among the lucky viewers, don't worry. There are more exciting events coming. For example, on June 10, 2021, the silhouette of the Moon will block part of the Sun.
Happy moon hunting!
