Late Sunday evening, May 15, 2022, the Moon will slip into the earth's shadow for one of the best total lunar eclipses in a long time. Conditions are favorable for a dark, ruddy red moon, as the path takes our satellite deep within the umbra of the earth's shadow.
Details below are from Sky and Telescope
On Sunday night–Monday morning May 15–16, the Moon will undergo a total eclipse widely visible across the Americas, Europe, and Africa as seen in the diagram below:
As the moon moves through the earth's shadow, it first encounters the penumbra or outer shadow. Here the globe of the Earth partially blocks the solar disk, resulting in a faint shading visible across half the Moon about half an hour before the start of partial eclipse. The first dark "bite" occurs as the Moon enters the umbra, where the Earth completely blocks the Sun's glaring disk — save for reddened sunlight that filters through the atmosphere and into the umbra to color the Moon red.
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| Starry Night with additions by Bob King |
The following diagram shows the key phases of the May 15–16 eclipse as the Moon passes through Earth's shadow. Times are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
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| Gregg Dinderman / Sky & Telescope; Source: USNO |
You need nothing but your own eyes to see this wonderful event, but binoculars will enhance the view.
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