Over the weekend the Sun, Earth and Moon will be aligned and our satellite will pass through the Earth’s shadow: a total lunar eclipse will occur.
In this astronomical event, the Moon sits within the umbra, the darkest part of Earth’s shadow. There, it acquires a reddish hue that is often called “Blood Moon”.
Where can it be seen?
Venezuela is one of the countries that will have a front row seat to watch all phases of the event, as in the eastern half of the United States and all of South America.
While only its entirety will be visible in much of Africa and Western Europe.
What is needed to observe the eclipse?
Of astronomical equipment, none. But it is necessary that there are good weather conditions to observe the sky.
Also, binoculars or a telescope can allow a great view of the satellite and the reddish color.
As for other astronomical events, experts recommend a dark environment away from bright lights to improve viewing conditions.
What time will the eclipse be?
For Venezuela –and the other countries where all the phases will be observed– the event will begin at around 9:00 pm (ET – local time) and the totality will occur at around 11:29 pm.
Next, the schedules compiled by NASA for the night of May 15, in coordinated universal time (UTC) and Eastern time (ET) that coincides with the time in our country:
Why does the Moon turn reddish?
It’s because Rayleigh scattering or light travels in the form of waves and different colors of light have different physical properties.
That’s the same phenomenon that makes our sky blue and our sunsets red and makes the Moon red during a lunar eclipse.
Are you ready for the #LunarEclipse on May 15-16? ????
Watch in person: https://t.co/HszEyThTuF
Watch a livestream on May 15 at 11 p.m. – 12 a.m. ET: https://t.co/dZS2siKXTT
See more eclipse science: https://t.co/ED0nQrRgpF
Get educator resources: https://t.co/beKpqLf0UB pic.twitter.com/i15Le1oa72
— NASA Solar System (@NASASolarSystem) May 13, 2022
“The more dust or clouds there are in the Earth’s atmosphere during the eclipse, the redder the Moon will appear. It is as if all the sunrises and sunsets in the world were projected on the Moon”, they describe.
The next total lunar eclipse will occur on November 8th this year, but it will only be fully visible over the Pacific and most of North America.
Main photo: Nasa
