Lunar Eclipse 2022: Everything about the ‘Blood Moon’ on May 16

The first lunar eclipse of the year 2022 is set to begin on May 15. According to a report by CNN, the process of the eclipse will start at 10.27 pm as per the Eastern Standard Time and will kick start at 7:57 am on May 16.

Right before the moon appears in its full form, it will emit a reddish hue and hence it is called as the ‘Blood Moon’. This is because when the Sun’s rays reach the Earth, the blue and green light get scattered and the orange and red colours remain visible.

During the lunar eclipse, the moon will nearly disappear for a while.

Notably, lunar eclipse is a phase when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow. This happens when the Sun, Earth and Moon are closely aligned like a straight line in such a manner that the Earth is in the middle of the other two. The shadow on the lunar surface causes a lunar eclipse.

1. Who can see the ‘Blood Moon’?

The lunar eclipse causes two shadows and it can be viewed with the naked eyes. Since the total lunar eclipse will last for a short time span, skygazers won’t be able to enjoy it for a long time. However, they can still see the changing colours of the moon.

2. Where can the ‘Lunar Eclipse’ be seen?

The total lunar eclipse will be seen in parts of South America, Europe and Middle-east nations.

Those in Rome, London, Paris, Brussels, Paris, Havana, Johannesburg, Lagos, Madrid, Madrid, Santiago, Washington DC, New York, Guatemala City, Rio de Janeiro, and Chicago will also be able to see the Lunar Eclipse.

3. Can Indian residents see the Lunar Eclipse 2022?

The Lunar Eclipse on May 16 will not be visible in India, but you can still watch it on the livestream event by NASA. The space agency will livestream the eclipse from 11pm ET on May 15 to 12am ET on May 16, ET, which is 8:33am IST on May 16.