SUPER FLOWER BLOOD MOON Tomorrow, May 26

 
 
Heads up, stargazers. Tomorrow, May 26, you can see the SUPER FLOWER BLOOD MOON LUNAR ECLIPSE from pretty much anywhere in the world.
 
It’s a Supermoon because the moon will be at its closest point to Earth in its orbit.
 
It’s a Flower Moon because that’s a nickname for the Spring moon.
 
And it’s a Blood Moon because the Earth will be positioned directly between the moon and the sun, blocking the sun’s rays and causing the moon to appear red.
 
Viewing times and details in the article below. Enjoy.
 

How to Watch this Week’s Spectacular “Super Flower Flood Moon” Lunar Eclipse

By Sophie Lewis

The most spectacular full moon of 2021 is quickly approaching, gracing the night sky in all its glory on May 26. That date marks not just a supermoon, but also a blood moon, thanks to a lunar eclipse.

“When this happens, the only light that reaches the moon’s surface is from the edges of the Earth’s atmosphere,” the space agency explains. “The air molecules from Earth’s atmosphere scatter out most of the blue light. The remaining light reflects onto the moon’s surface with a red glow, making the moon appear red in the night sky.”

NASA says the result will be a “ring of light” around the moon. 

“Just how red it will look is hard to predict, but dust in the atmosphere can have an effect. (And keep in mind there have been a couple of prominent volcanic eruptions recently),” NASA said. 

Not only does May bring a lunar eclipse, but also the year’s best supermoon. A supermoon occurs when the moon appears larger than usual in the night sky because it is at its closest point to Earth in its orbit, known as perigee. 

May’s full supermoon is known as the “Flower Moon,” and it marks the second of three supermoons this year. It’s appropriately named for the abundance of flowers associated with spring in the Northern Hemisphere. 

How to watch 

On Wednesday, May 26, the cosmic phenomenon will be at least partly visible anywhere on the night side of the planet, NASA said. Under clear weather conditions, skywatchers around the world will be able to enjoy the show. 

This includes parts of Asia and Australia, as well as much of the U.S. and South America. For skywatchers in the U.S., the best viewing will be in Hawaii, Alaska, and the western states, though the eclipse is partially visible further East during dawn twilight. And if you’re in the U.S. you should wake up early to see the rare celestial event. 

According to NASA, the peak of the eclipse will last for about 14 minutes, but the entire event will last about five hours, from 08:47:39 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) to 13:49:41 UTC. It will peak at 11:19:52 UTC. 

This means that in Asia, the eclipse occurs in the early evening when the moon first rises, while on the west coast of the Americas, it occurs in the early morning hours, when the moon is setting. 

Solar eclipses should never be viewed with the naked eye, but lunar eclipses are completely safe to look at. 

Don’t worry if you’re not located in the best place to spot the eclipse. The Virtual Telescope Project will have a live feed of the entire event, starting at 3 a.m. PT on May 26. 

“Rare Full Flower Blue Moon” Rising Saturday, May 18. Get Your Seats.

It’s called the “Rare Full Flower Blue Moon.” In case you were wondering.  And it looks just like this:

 

From Farmers’ Almanac

On Saturday, May 18, 2019, at 5:11 p.m. Eastern Time, May’s Flower Moon officially turns full. This particular full Moon is also referred to as a “Blue Moon,” however some may be confused by this name. Most people know that we usually refer to a “Blue Moon” when we have two full Moons in a month.  There is, however, an alternate definition for a Blue Moon, which is what the Moon on May 18th is.

The Seasonal Blue Moon Definition

Typically, each of the four seasons contains three full Moons. However, sometimes a particular season will have four. When that happens, the third full Moon of that seasonal lunar quartet is designated as a Blue Moon (although no one is sure why the third, and not the fourth, is the one that gets the Blue Moon moniker).

In 2019, spring in the Northern Hemisphere runs from March 20th to June 21st. During that time span of slightly more than three months, these are the full Moon occurrences (in Eastern Time zones):

  1. Full Worm Moon: March 20, 2019
  2. Full Pink Moon: April 19, 2019
  3. Full Flower Moon: May 18, 2019 (Blue Moon)
  4. Full Strawberry Moon: June 17, 2019

That final full Moon falls before the summer solstice, so it’s not the first full Moon of summer, but rather the fourth full Moon of spring. That makes the May 18th Moon—the third of the four full Moons of spring—a “Blue Moon.” It will also be the last seasonal Blue Moon until August 22, 2021.

And no, it will not be blue in color!