New Delhi: There will be a total lunar eclipse visible in the Western Hemisphere on May 15-16. This will be the second eclipse of the year, after the April 30/May 1 partial solar eclipse that was visible in parts of the southern hemisphere.
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, and its shadow covers the Moon. The Moon will turn red when the eclipse reaches totality.
It’s always a Full Moon, with the Sun, Earth, and Moon aligned to form a line, when total lunar eclipses take place. Such alignment has an astronomical term, called syzygy, which has its origin in a Greek word that means ‘paired together’.
May 15-16 Lunar Eclipse Time And Duration
NASA has said the lunar eclipse of May 15-16 will have about 1 hour and 25 minutes of totality — the period when the Full Moon is completely covered by the dark part of Earth’s shadow. The Moon will turn red, giving the Blood Moon effect.
While the total eclipse duration will be of three hours and 27 minutes, according to NASA, the totality will be a Sunday evening event in the Pacific and Mountain Time Zones, i.e. from around 8:29 pm to 9:53 pm PDT/MST (8.29 am to 9.53 am IST, Monday), and 9:29 pm to 10:53 pm MDT, according to timeanddate.com.
At 1 hour and 25 minutes, this is going to be the longest duration of eclipse totality, or annularity, NASA has said.
Will The May 15-16 Total Lunar Eclipse Be Visible In India?
According to NASA, the total phase of the Blood Moon total lunar eclipse will be visible from across North and South America, and parts of Europe and Africa.
Like the April 30 solar eclipse, the May 15-16 lunar eclipse will also not be seen in India. The country will, however, be able to see the next two eclipses this year. A partial solar eclipse will take place on October 25, and a partial lunar eclipse will occur on November 7-8 this year.