Another "Blood Moon" eclipse is approaching in North America. The complete lunar eclipse "Blood Moon 2021" will occur in the early hours of May 26, 2021, and will be apparent to some-but not all-of North America.
GLASTONBURY, ENGLAND - JANUARY 11: A so-called wolf moon rises over Glastonbury Tor on January 11, 2017, in Somerset, England. In some parts of the world, the January full moon is nicknamed the wolf moon, which dates back to the days when Native American tribes gave names to each month's full moon to help keep track of the seasons.
Only a full Moon will produce a complete lunar eclipse, through which viewers see a red Moon. Because of the time of year, it appears in the northern hemisphere. The Full Moon in May 2021 is dubbed the "Flower Moon."
That means that not only will there be a full moon, but there will also be a supermoon. The supermoon would occur during a complete lunar eclipse, making the occurrence much more unusual.
Here's What You Need to Know About May's Super Full Moon 2021
According to Farmer's Almanac, May's Full Moon is known as the Flower Moon because flowers are blooming throughout North America. Using this Moon calculator, find out exactly what time it will happen on the evening of Tuesday, May 25, 2021, where you are. The eclipse will reach North America a few hours later, in the early hours of Wednesday, May 26, 2021.
According to a Time and Date article, the distance between the Moon and Earth varies over the month and even the year. However, the overall distance is about 238,000 miles.
Since the Moon's orbit is elliptical, there are days when it is closer to Earth than others. The perigee is the point on the Moon's orbit where it is nearest to Earth. A supermoon occurs when the Moon is completely illuminated when it hits that point.
There is no official description of what constitutes a supermoon, such as how nearest the Moon would be to Earth. The full Moon is a supermoon because it is less than 223,694 miles from Earth's core, according to the same timeanddate.com article. When this happens, the Moon will be about 7% bigger than every other full Moon in the month, and it will be about 15% lighter than other full moons.
ALSO READ: Astronomy 2021: Your Guide to The Full Moons, Eclipses And Meteor Showers This Year!
Will The Super Full Moon Be Red?
The word "Blood Moon" isn't scientific; it refers to the Moon's presence during a total lunar eclipse, which is reddish-orange.
"During the eclipse, the full moon goes into the dark inner shadow of Earth," Michael Shanahan, the planetarium director at the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey, told the Today show.
"However, while our atmosphere blocks the shorter wavelengths such as blue light, it does allow the longer wavelengths of red light to pass through our atmosphere and continue on to the moon," Shanahan added.
During complete lunar eclipses, Shanahan said the Moon also takes on an odd copper hue.
Rayleigh scattering is the process that occurs as colors in the violet spectrum are filtered out. This effect is also responsible for the vibrant colors of sunrises and sunsets.
Here Are The Best Countries to See Super Moon This Month
Forbes said Hawaii would be the safest place to see the "Super Flower Blood Moon." Totality would be visible high in the sky later that night in Australia and New Zealand. Totality will be visible low in the southwestern skies right before the full moon sets to the east and west coasts of the United States. The east coast of Asia can see totality low in the eastern sky just after the full moon rises to the west.
If you missed the Super Blood Moon in May, you'll have another shot next month when the Super Strawberry Moon occurs on June 24.
RELATED ARTICLE: May 2021 Astronomical Events: Your Guide to the Moon and Planets This Month
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