Last Updated on: 25th May 2021, 04:43 am
The first lunar eclipse of 2021 will take place on May 26th. But it will be a particularly superlunar event as it will be a supermoon, a lunar eclipse, and a red blood moon at the same time.
What does it all mean?
What is a special thing about a Supermoon?
A super moon occurs when a full or new moon coincides with the closest approach of the moon to earth.
The moon’s orbit around the earth is not perfectly circular. This means that the distance from the moon to earth varies as it orbits the planet.
The point closest to orbit, called the perigee, is approximately 45,000 kilometers closer to Earth than the point farthest from orbit.
A full moon that occurs near the perigee is known as a super moon.
How much bigger is a Supermoon than normal and why?
The relatively close proximity to the moon makes it appear slightly larger and brighter than usual, although the difference between a super moon and a normal moon is usually difficult to notice unless you’re looking at two images side by side.
Full Flower Supermoons of 2021
| Name | Date | Distance from Earth |
|---|---|---|
| Full Pink Moon | April 26 at 11:33 P.M. EDT | 222,211.7 miles (357,615 km) |
| Full Flower Moon | May 26 at 7:14 A.M. EDT | 222,116.6 miles (357,462 km) |
Perigee distance data courtesy of Fred Espenak, www.Astropixels.com
How often does a lunar eclipse occur?
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth’s shadow covers all or part of the moon. This can only happen when there is a full moon, so it helps to understand first what a full moon is.
Like the earth, half of the moon is illuminated by the sun at all times. A full moon occurs when the moon and sun are on opposite sides of the earth.
This way you can see the entire face lit up, which looks like a round disk in the night sky.
If the moon had a perfectly flat orbit, every full moon would be a lunar eclipse. However, the moon’s orbit is inclined about 5 degrees from Earth’s orbit.
Most of the time, a full moon ends a little above or below the shadow cast by the earth. But twice in each lunar orbit, the moon is on the same horizontal plane as the earth and the sun.
When this corresponds to a full moon, the sun, earth, and moon form a straight line and the moon goes through the earth’s shadow. This leads to a total lunar eclipse.
Also Read: A Solar storm travels at the speed of 1.8 million km/hr to hit Earth
Is it possible to see a lunar eclipse while sitting at home?
To see a lunar eclipse, you need to be on the night side of the earth as the moon passes through the shadows.
The best places to watch on May 26, 2021, solar eclipse are in the central Pacific, Australia, the east coast of Asia, and the west coast of the Americas.
It will be visible in the eastern half of the United States, but only at a very early stage, before the moon sets.
The partial phase of the solar eclipse begins on the afternoon of May 26 at 3:15 p.m. IST and ends at 6:23 p.m. IST. The entire phase begins at 4:39 p.m. IST and ends at 4:58 p.m. IST.
Why is the moon red 2021?
When the moon is completely covered by the earth’s shadow, it darkens but does not turn completely black.
Instead, it takes on a red color, which is why total lunar eclipses are sometimes referred to as red or bloody moons.
Sunlight contains all the colors of visible light. The gas particles that make up the earth’s atmosphere tend to scatter blue wavelengths of light, while more red wavelengths pass through. This is known as Rayleigh scattering, and that’s why the sky is blue and sunrises and sunsets are often red.
In the event of a lunar eclipse, red light can pass through the Earth’s atmosphere and is refracted or bent towards the moon, while blue light is filtered. As a result, the moon remains colored pale red during a solar eclipse.
Also Read: Night scene is coming soon, You will be able to see the ‘Super Pink Moon’