A total lunar eclipse is coming soon, which means the full “flower moon” of May 2022 will be turning into a reddish-orange “blood moon” for almost 90 minutes.
Astronomy experts at Space.com call it “one of nature’s most beautiful spectacles” and a “must-see skywatching event.”
Although people all across the United States — including New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania — will have an opportunity to see the upcoming lunar eclipse, the timing isn’t ideal. You’ll have to stay awake late Sunday night, May 15, to catch a glimpse of the moon as it slowly turns dark with a reddish-orange tint.
Here are a few things to know about the total lunar eclipse, what will happen, the best time to see it and how long it will last.
What is a lunar eclipse?
During a lunar eclipse, the sun, Earth and moon become closely aligned in the sky, and the bright moon slowly turns darker and changes its color as it drifts across the Earth’s shadow.
Light reflecting from the sun makes the moon appear to glow in a rusty orange or reddish color, which is why many astronomy experts and writers refer to this moon as a “blood moon.”
A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon drifts across the Earth's dark shadow during a period when the sun, the earth and the moon are closely aligned. Because of that alignment, our planet's shadow will temporarily block the light that the sun reflects off the moon's surface, so the moon's brightness will fade.AccuWeather
When will the lunar eclipse occur?
In the Syracuse area, the lunar eclipse is scheduled to begin at 9:32 p.m. Sunday and reach its maximum at 12:11 a.m. Monday, May 16.
In the New York City region, the nearly full moon is scheduled to start rising in the east-southeastern sky at about 7:50 p.m. Sunday, May 15.
At first it will look like an ordinary moon, with a whitish-yellow glow. But subtle changes should start to occur around 9:30 p.m. Sunday, when the outer portion of the Earth’s shadow starts to slightly shade part of the moon — in what is known as the penumbral phase, said Amie Gallagher, an astronomy expert and planetarium director at Raritan Valley Community College in New Jersey.
The darker, central portion of the shadow — known as the umbra — should start to be visible around 10:30 p.m. Sunday in the eastern U.S., making this a partial eclipse at this point.
“Starting at 10:30, that’s when it’s going to look like a bite is taken out of the moon,” Gallagher said, noting that most of the moon will look white, but “darkness will start creeping along the left side of the moon.”
The main phase of the lunar eclipse, known as totality, will start about 11:30 p.m. Sunday, Gallagher said. “At that point, the moon’s going to be really high in the sky, and the moon will be inside the Earth’s shadow. That’s when it will take on that orangish, or maybe reddish, color.”
Because the moon will be high in the sky at that point, it will be visible from anywhere in New Jersey, even from your own backyard, she noted. So you don’t have to go anywhere special to see the eclipse. (Just hope for clear skies!)
The eclipse should reach its maximum phase in NYC at 12:14 a.m., when the moon will be officially full and completely shaded by our planet’s shadow. Gallagher said the total eclipse will last from about 11:30 p.m. Sunday to around 12:55 a.m. Monday.
“It’s a slow event, so you don’t have to go outside to watch the whole thing,” she noted. “You can go out every 20 minutes, or every half hour or so,” and you will see the moon gradually turn darker and reddish-orange in color.
During a lunar eclipse, the moon's color will turn from white or yellow to rusty orange or reddish, giving it the nickname "blood moon." The next total lunar eclipse will be coming late Sunday night, May 15, 2022. Pictured here is a "supermoon" during a lunar eclipse over Brigantine, New Jersey on Jan. 20, 2019.
Do we need to wear special glasses?
Remember those funny-looking cardboard glasses that many of us wore to protect our eyes from the sun during the “Great American Solar Eclipse” in August 2017? Well, you won’t need those, or any type of eye protection, for viewing the May lunar eclipse, or any other lunar eclipse.
“A lunar eclipse is perfectly safe to watch,” Space.com notes. “All you’ll need are your eyes, but binoculars or a telescope will give you a much nicer view.”
Gallagher agrees, saying Sunday night’s eclipse will look more impressive with binoculars or a telescope. And no eye protection is needed to watch any lunar eclipse.
“It’s the same moon that was out there a half-hour before,” she said. “We can look at the full moon before an eclipse and during an eclipse.”
We won't need any special glasses, like these, to look at the lunar eclipse in May 2022. Special glasses that protect your eyes are needed only when looking at a solar eclipse. They are not needed for lunar eclipses. AP
Nicknames for the May full moon
The most popular nickname of the May full moon is the “flower moon,” because of the flowers that bloom during this time of year.
Some people refer to this moon by other nicknames originating from different native American tribes. Among the monikers are the “bright moon,” the “milk moon,” the “mother’s moon,” “corn planting moon” and the “planting moon,” according to the Farmers Alamanc and the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
2 ‘supermoons’ on the way
The upcoming lunar eclipse will be followed by two consecutive “supermoons” — one on June 14 and another on July 13. Those are full moons that look slightly bigger and brighter than an average full moon because their orbit is closer to the Earth.
A few big sky events will be worth watching in May and June of 2022, including the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, a lunar eclipse and a supermoon.Len Melisurgo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Another lunar eclipse in 2022, solar eclipse in 2024
Another lunar eclipse in 2022 will occur during the early morning hours on Tuesday, Nov. 8, and also will be visible from the United States and the rest of North America, according to TimeAndDate.com. People in Asia, Australia, most of South America and parts of northern and eastern Europe also will be able to see the November eclipse.
The next solar eclipse — when the moon will move in front of the sun and block its light — that will be visible in New Jersey and other parts of the United States will take place on April 8, 2024. And you will need to wear eye protection for that event.
During the 2024 solar eclipse, people in New Jersey will be able to see about 90% of the sun get blocked by the moon, Gallagher said. During the 2017 solar eclipse, New Jerseyans saw about 75% of the sun get covered by the moon. And that was enough to make for a spectacular sight.
Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com.