Do you like looking at the stars and the moon. Or watching eclipses? Well, here’s your chance. A total lunar eclipse is happening on Wednesday, May 26, 2021.
Where You Can See It
You can see the eclipse in the Americas, Australia, New Zealand and Asia. In some places you can see the beginning and not the end. In North America, you can see the when the moon turns red only in the western United States, British Columbia, Alaska, and western Mexico.
When To See It
Here are some of the times for the main cities in the U.S. where you can see the eclipse. New York City, New York, you can see the beginning of the eclipse at 4:47 am Eastern Time; St. Louis, Missouri, you can see the beginning at 3:47 am Central Time; Salt Lake City, Utah, you can see the beginning at 2:47 am, when the totality starts at 5:11 am, and when the totality ends at 5:25 am Mountain Time; Los Angeles, California, you can see the beginning at 1:47 am, when the totality starts at 4:11 am, and when the totality ends at 4:25 am Pacific Time; and finally, in Honolulu, Hawaii, you can see the beginning at 10:47 pm, when the totality starts at 1:11 am, when the totality ends at 1:25 am, and when the eclipse ends at 3:49 am Hawaii–Aleutian Time. [1]
How Long Is It Visible
The entire eclipse will last several hours but the actual turning red will only be about 14 minutes.
What About Bad Weather?
You need to keep an eye on the weather-whether there will be clouds or not- before you go to bed on the 25th. Clouds can make you not be able to see the eclipse.
Why “The Blood Moon”
Have you ever wondered why a total lunar eclipse is called a “blood moon?” A lunar eclipse happens when the earth is in the middle with the sun on one side and the moon on the other side. The full moon passes through Earth’s shadow and that brings around the blood moon. The “blood” comes from sunlight coming through the earth’s atmosphere.
Notes:
- ^https://www.accuweather.com/en/space-news/moon-to-turn-red-wednesday-total-lunar-eclipse/950118 (go back ↩)
