Interestingly, when the Earth’s shadow sweeps across the lunar landscape, the temperatures on the Moon’s surface will drop off rapidly. The Moon’s Temperature Will Drop Shocking Low! In contrast, a total eclipse of the Moon is visible wherever the Moon happens to be above the horizon when the eclipse is taking place. Since from start to finish, our upcoming eclipse will last nearly three and a half hours, and taking into account the rotation of the Earth on its axis, more than half of the Earth’s surface – the nighttime side – will be facing the Moon during the eclipse. Visibility will include not only the Americas, but also parts of Europe and Africa. To see a total eclipse of the Sun, one must be positioned within the path that the Moon’s dark shadow will take across the surface of the Earth. That path may be thousands of miles long, but usually less than 167 miles wide. It may come as a surprise to learn that eclipses of the Moon are less frequent than eclipses of the Sun. Yet, because they have a much larger viewing range, total eclipses of the Moon are more commonly observed. Rare Moon Photo-opįor those living to the west or to the left of a line running roughly from Billings, Montana-through Salt Lake City-to San Diego, California, the Moon will rise from above the east-southeast horizon already part-way inside of the umbra-a most unusual sight! If there are local landmarks in the foreground it can make for an interesting photo-op. See the video below for a glimpse of what it might look like:Īs many as 2.7 billion people will get a chance to see this month’s eclipse! Sometimes, however, after a major volcanic eruption, which can fill the upper layers of our atmosphere – the stratosphere – with ash and dust, most of the red and orange light is blocked from entering the Earth’s shadow and the result is that the Moon appears a sooty gray or even nearly disappears completely from view. Enough of this light reaches the Moon to give it a faint coppery glow-even when it is totally eclipsed.ĭepending on the state of our atmosphere during totality, the Moon might resemble a shiny new penny or glow softly with hues of brick red, or chocolate brown. Near the horizon, at sunrise and sunset we see red and orange colorations. Because some of the sunlight striking our Earth is diffused and scattered by our atmosphere, the Earth’s shadow is not totally dark. You might expect the Moon to completely disappear from view when it becomes immersed in the Earth’s shadow, but it doesn’t. Instead, during this darkest phase of the eclipse, the Moon glows with an eerie ruddy coloration. For the next 61 minutes the Moon will move steadily into the shadow until its last remaining sliver becomes tucked inside the shadow’s outer rim. That will be the start of the “total phase” of the eclipse. When the full Moon enters the Earth’s dark central shadow (umbra), its left edge will appear to crumble away. The Moon will be totally eclipsed for 85 minutes-about the length of a feature film. But the upcoming eclipse will be unusually long. Typically, the amount of time that the Moon spends completely immersed in the Earth’s darkest shadow lasts about 50 minutes or less. But on special occasions-when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are properly aligned-the Moon’s path will take it directly into the Earth’s shadow, which causes a lunar eclipse! Learn more about eclipses: dates, myths, and superstitions. This lunar “show” may be watched most anywhere in North and South America, and it may be observed to full advantage without binoculars or telescopic equipment of any kind. And unlike an eclipse of the Sun, an eclipse of the Moon presents no hazards to viewers no precautions to protect the eyes are needed.īelow is a timetable for all of the main events of the next lunar eclipse (times listed in italics fall on May 16, 2022):Įarth casts a long, cone-shaped shadow that stretches into space for about 863,000 miles. More often than not, the full Moon passes either above or below this shadow. If you would like to attend one of nature’s most interesting celestial performances, mark a date on your calendar for Sunday evening, May 15, 2022, to see a total eclipse of the Moon!
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