Early risers on Wednesday morning, May 26, 2021 will be treated to a total lunar eclipse hanging low in the western sky.
This lunar eclipse will be better situated for observers in the western half of the U.S but that doesn’t mean you should scratch it off your list just because you are in the eastern half of the county.
The upcoming eclipse is very reminiscent of the total lunar eclipse of January 31, 2018. Why? The timing for one. The 1/31/18 TLE started very early in the morning and was setting as twilight was coming on and totality was waning as is this one. Additionally, both eclipses happen around lunar perigee (the point where the Moon is closest to Earth in its orbit). At this time the Moon is slightly larger in the sky. You’ll sometimes hear this referred to as a “super moon,” a term I don’t like to use.