Super Blood Moon on the Rise

The sky seems to be the talk of the town lately. On the 15th and 16th of May, the night sky will hero the Blood Moon. Astro-enthusiasts all around the world are fizzy with anticipation to have a good look at the moon in all its red glory. 

The first Total Lunar Eclipse of the year will be visible in South America, much of eastern North America and Antarctica, with its partial and penumbral stages visible in the rest of North America, Africa, Western Europe and parts of West Asia. The eclipse, which starts at 7:02 am IST, will continue till 12:20 pm IST. The Totality phase of the eclipse will start at 8:59 am IST and last till 10:24 am IST, with a peak at 9:41 am IST. As you can see, India, amongst other parts of the world, will not be able to experience the lunar eclipse. Don’t let that deter your excitement because NASA will live stream the entire event with expert commentary throughout the viewing.

Here’s where you can watch the Live Stream of the Lunar Eclipse “Blood Moon”

It’s frequently discussed whether it is safe to gaze directly at the blood moon. Yes, it is safe. Here’s why. Unlike the solar eclipse, which is too bright and too harsh to look at directly with naked eyes, a lunar eclipse is dramatically milder in comparison. In a lunar eclipse, the moon simply reflects the sun’s rays, which makes it safe to look at. Keen skywatchers might even spot other bright stars since around the blood moon the sky tends to be darker.

Let’s begin with a fun fact. Some ancient cultures considered the total lunar eclipse an ominous night. Can you blame them? After all, red-full moons are regular features in so many horror and sci-fi films. The real reason it has been nicknamed the Blood Moon is obvious. As the name suggests, the moon appears reddish as opposed to its usual milky-white colour. And no, it doesn’t mean anything, nothing astronomically significant at least. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a magnificent phenomenon. Over the years this celestial occurrence has garnered a lot of interest and has made its way into many stargazers’ astronomical calendars.

While the moon keeps us entertained with a whole bunch of tricks (don’t discount the ever-changing moon and its phases), the Blood Moon is especially interesting because that’s when the sun, moon, and earth are perfectly aligned. In a total lunar eclipse, the full moon passes through the darkest centre of the earth’s shadow, known as the umbra. The red tinge on the lunar surface is the light from the sun that gets filtered by the earth’s atmosphere. While that’s cool enough on its own, this Blood Moon is going to be more pompous than ever.

The moon is going to be at its closest point to earth which will make it look a lot larger; so it is also called the Super Moon. That’s not all. A full moon in May is also referred to as Flower Moon in some parts of the world. Which makes this full moon a Super-Flower-Blood Moon. Stargazers, this is not your usual lunar eclipse. Another factor that makes this blood moon extraordinary is that it could possibly be the longest one. The total lunar eclipse at its darkest red is said to last nearly one and a half hours.

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