That ring is lit up by the strained sunlight that makes it through the Earth’s atmosphere and is bent in the moon’s direction. If you were standing on the moon during a total lunar eclipse, the Earth would be black except for a reddish ring that would circle the entire globe. The umbra shadow opposite the sun is not totally dark because some of the sun’s light manages to pass through Earth’s atmospheric shell. Only the shadow knows! The Earth’s umbra shadow, that is. No one can really predict what shade the eclipsed moon will sport. It will take on a bright orange or maybe bloody red hue. until 11:54 p.m., the moon will be totally eclipsed but will still be visible. They were really ahead of their time.įrom 10:28 p.m. Ancient Greek scientists saw this circular shadow of the Earth as proof the Earth was round. You can’t help but notice that the shadow has a circular edge as it creeps across the lunar surface. Right around 9:28 p.m., you’ll start to see the lower left side of the moon begin to darken, and by 10 p.m., you’ll really see a big bite taken out of the moon. Not this time, though! This Sunday evening, the moon forges right into Earth’s shadow.
Most of the time, the full moon misses the Earth’s shadow. But, this doesn’t occur every full moon because the moon’s orbit around the Earth is tilted by 5 degrees to the Earth’s orbit around the sun. Lunar eclipses can only happen during a full moon when our planet lies in a line between the sun and moon. It should be quite a show as the moon takes on a ruddy hue during totality. Lunar eclipses occur when the moon, in its orbit around the Earth, passes through the Earth’s shadow opposite the sun, also known as the umbra shadow. It will be our last chance to see a primetime, early evening, total lunar eclipse, or “Blood Moon,” until May 2029. Mario Lotmore has 1194 posts and counting.Let’s hope and pray we have clear skies tonight, May 15. Mario’s talent is finding “that recipe” of shared destiny to effectively improve the quality of life for others. Lotmore is the President of a Homeowner Association, an active Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics volunteer in his community, and former Boeing 747 Diversity Council leader. Over his career he has saved and created hundreds of union and non-union jobs. Lotmore was an industrial engineer by trade and proven success implementing and managing lean accountable processes and policies within his eighteen years of operations excellence, strategic development, and project management in the aerospace, manufacturing, and banking industries. The launching of the city’s community newspaper will only help bring neighborhoods together. Lotmore created the Lynnwood Times to represent the character of a diverse and growing Lynnwood. Having lived in every region of the United States has exposed him to various cultures, people, and approaches to life. Mario Lotmore is originally from The Bahamas and for the last seven years has called Mukilteo, WA his home. This an optical illusion is caused because the atmosphere will scatter outward the shorter blue wavelengths leaving only the longer wavelengths like reds and oranges.
Tonight’s “full flower supermoon” will appear to be a rusty red color due to the sunlight interacting with Earth’s atmosphere. What makes this lunar eclipse rare is that it is classified as a “super flower blood moon.” A moon is “super” when its orbit reaches one of its closest points to Earth - also called “in perigee.” May 15, according to the Farmer’s Almanac, is the time when flowers are in full bloom in spring in North America.
Penumbral eclipse ends: Earth’s shadow is no longer cast across the lunar surface.Partial eclipse ends: Earth’s umbra leaves the lunar surface.Total eclipse ends: Earth’s umbra begins to move away from the lunar surface as the eclipse begins to wrap up.Maximum eclipse: This is the stage of the eclipse with maximum coverage of the lunar surface by Earth’s umbra.Total eclipse begins: As the umbra completely covers the lunar surface, the moon turns a blood-red color.This is usually the first part of the eclipse visible to the naked eye. Partial eclipse begins: The umbra begins to cover the moon.Penumbral eclipse begins: This first stage is not that noticeable to the naked eye and occurs when the penumbral shadow begins to move across the moon.According to, a total lunar eclipse has seven stages: