First total lunar eclipse 2022 – a supermoon eclipse – full moon – Flower Moon on May 15-16, 2022

The first total lunar eclipse of 2022 will turn May’s “Flower Moon” red this weekend. The moon will pass through the Earth’s shadow on Sunday, and the event will be visible in Africa, Europe, South America, and North America.

In Las Vegas, the eclipse is scheduled to start at 7:31 p.m., peak at 9:11 p.m., and end at 11:50 p.m., with the total lunar eclipse running from 8:29-9:53 p.m.

The total eclipse phase could be challenging to find in Las Vegas, because of a combination of the obscurity and a low moon. For your best view, look south-southeast, near the horizon.

The next total lunar eclipse will be in November, and afterward, it will be a three-year wait until the next one in March 2025.

Total Lunar Eclipse

Individuals in the Americas, Europe, and Africa will see the total lunar eclipse during the night of May 15-16, 2022. In addition, on this night, the moon is close: a supermoon.

• The penumbral eclipse starts at 1:32 UTC on May 16 (9:32 p.m. EDT on May 15).
• The partial eclipse starts at 2:27 UTC on May 16 (10:27 p.m. EDT on May 15).
• Totality starts (moon engulfed in Earth’s shadow) starts at 3:29 UTC on May 16 (11:29 p.m. EDT on May 15).
• engulfed closes at 4:53 UTC on May 16 (12:53 a.m. EDT).
• Partial eclipse closes at 5:55 UTC on May 16 (1:55 a.m. EDT).
• The penumbral eclipse closes at 6:50 UTC on May 16 (2:50 a.m. EDT).
• The maximum eclipse is at 4:12 UTC on May 16 (12:12 a.m. EDT).
• Duration of totality: About 85 minutes.

Note: This total eclipse is central. That implies the moon passes centrally through the axis of Earth’s dark (umbral) shadow. The moon is in a close part of its orbit – near Earth – during the eclipse. It’s a supermoon.

Since they are so deep, such eclipses generally have the longest total phases. For this situation, the duration of totality lasts nearly 60 minutes and a half: 84.9 minutes!

A full moon is up just around night. What’s more, a total lunar eclipse should be visible from all of Earth that is experiencing night while the eclipse is taking place. In any case, some will see the eclipse better compared to other people, contingent upon location. Some will see it at moonrise or moonset when the moon is low in the sky. Lunar eclipses are safe to see with the unaided eye. Binoculars and telescopes upgrade the view, yet aren’t needed.

Moon, Constellation, Saros

This lunar eclipse happens 1.5 days before the moon arrives at perigee, its nearest point to Earth for the month. So this full moon is a supermoon. That implies, that during this eclipse, the moon shows up somewhat large in our sky.

During the May 15-16 eclipse, the moon is situated toward the direction of the constellation Libra.

The eclipse belongs to Saros 131 in the catalog of lunar eclipses. It is number 34 of 72 eclipses in the series. All eclipses in this series happen at the moon’s dropping node. The moon moves toward the north regarding the node with each succeeding eclipse in the series.

Expect Higher-than-Usual Tides, Following This Eclipse

The May full moon is a supermoon, nearest to the Earth for May only 1 1/2 days before the eclipse happens. Accordingly, in the day or two after the eclipse, individuals who live along a coastline can expect higher-than-usual tides.

Some call this kind of tide perigean spring tides. Yet, in recent years, since close new or full moons have come to be called supermoons, the additional high tides they bring are sometimes called supermoon tides. Some likewise favor the term king tides.

What Are Viewing Conditions Going to Be Like?

Very great. The current forecast calls for the most part clear skies on Sunday night with few clouds to obscure the moon or your view of it.

Will I Need Any Special Equipment to Watch?

No. As we said, the eclipse will be a naked-eye event, and that implies you won’t have to use a telescope or binoculars to see it, except if you might want to get a more definite look.

“If you’ve got binoculars, they work great, since it’s pretty much a stationary event in the sky and the moon isn’t that far away, relatively speaking,” Haynes says. “Just go outside and enjoy the view.”

Will There Be Any Public Viewing Parties or Events?

Indeed. The East Valley Astronomy Club will host a viewing event from sunset until 9:30 p.m. on Sunday at their observatory within Gilbert’s Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch, 2757 East Guadalupe Road. Haynes says they’ll have various telescopes set up for the public to use. Admission is free.

In the meantime, the Astronomy Association of Arizona will offer a free viewing party at Redmond Ball Field, 20756 West Maiden Lane in Buckeye, beginning at 7 p.m. on Sunday. Different telescopes will be available, including one where people in general can get moon photographs using their phones. A pair of instructors will likewise be close by to assist young people with making their moon craters and the Technical Research & Engineering Company will carry its spaceflight simulator Voyager to the event.

Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff will likewise live-stream the eclipse through its website and YouTube during a virtual viewing event from 7:15 p.m. to 12 PM. Members of the observatory’s staff will likewise host eclipse-themed presentations throughout the live stream. It’s free to watch.

Last and next eclipses, and eclipse seasons

The total lunar eclipse of May 16, 2022, is gone two weeks sooner by a partial solar eclipse on April 30, 2022. These two eclipses happen within a single eclipse season.

An eclipse season is around 35 days during which it’s unavoidable for something like 2 (and potentially 3) eclipses to occur.

The October-November 2022 eclipse season will include a partial solar eclipse on October 25 and a total lunar eclipse on November 7-8.

While timing relies upon your location, TimeandDate.com says the partial eclipse phase of the moon eclipse starts May 15 at 10:28 p.m. EDT (0228 GMT on May 16). It will get to the red-hued Blood Moon peak on May 16 at 12:11 a.m. EDT (0411 GMT). The event closes at 1:55 a.m. EDT (0555 GMT). Note the penumbral eclipse will start about an hour sooner and end about an hour after the partial eclipse.