The full moon on Wednesday will be the year’s biggest “supermoon” and feature the first total lunar eclipse in more than two years.
During the eclipse, the full moon will pass through the Earth’s shadow. It appears red, known as a “blood moon”, as light is scattered through the Earth’s atmosphere, much like during a sunset. In addition, the moon will be at perigee, or the closest point to Earth in its orbit, making it appear about 7% larger than normal and 15% brighter or a “super moon,” according to astronomers. May’s full moon is known as the “Flower Moon” since it occurs when spring flowers are in bloom. The result when taken together is a “Super Flower Blood Moon.”
Unfortunately, it will not be able to be witnessed in most parts of the Arab World as this one will also be below the horizon belt. The predicted timing of the eclipse is between 10:00 am local time to 16:00 pm local time.
Don’t worry, some observatories will webcast the eclipse!
The Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles will stream live views beginning at 1:45 a.m. PT (0845 GMT). The Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, will start its broadcast at 2:30 a.m. PT (0930 GMT). The Astronomical Society of South Australia will also broadcast live on Facebook and YouTube starting at 7 p.m. ACST (0930 GMT).
The next total lunar eclipse will be May 15-16, 2022.