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.
It’s like deja’ vu all over again! Last year there was a total lunar eclipse that occurred on January 31, 2018. That TLE was sure fun to watch and photograph. What made it enjoyable was the eclipse took place as the Moon was setting and made for some good images with the landmarks and the horizon. In fact, the moon was actually eclipsed as dawn was coming on, and it was setting at the same time. There was a lot happening. This total lunar eclipse, which occurred less than a year later was much higher in the sky. The weather was not perfect. It was cold with high thin clouds and periods of thicker cloudiness initially but as the night and eclipse wore on the sky did clear out nicely.
Posted below are images I shot of the January 20, 2019 total lunar eclipse or if you prefer the “media hyped” naming convention then it would be the “super blood wolf moon – total lunar eclipse.” Super because this full moon occurred near perigee which is when the moon is a fraction closer to Earth. Blood because total lunar eclipses take on a reddish/orange hue due to light refracting through the Earth’s atmosphere which sucks out the blue light waves and lets the red ones run free to bath the moon in blood. Finally, the January full moon is commonly called the “wolf” moon. Had this eclipse occurred in March when the full moon is known as the “worm moon,” they would have been calling it the “super blood worm moon,” or in August, the sturgeon moon. You get the idea.
Here are images I shot of this morning’s total lunar eclipse using a Nikon D60 with a Nikkor 50-200mm lens. These images were shot at Richard Simpson Park on Lake Arlington in Arlington, TX.
A total lunar eclipse will be visible (weather permitting) from the North Texas area early on the morning of Wednesday, January 31, 2018. Here are the eclipse event times (CST) specific to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
4:51 a.m. Penumbral Eclipse begins
5:48 a.m. Partial eclipse begins with Umbra making contact
6:51 a.m. Total eclipse begins
7:20 a.m. Maximal Eclipse for DFW area
7:24 a.m. The Moon sets for DFW area
7:26 a.m. Full Moon occurs for DFW (occurs below horizon for DFW)
Get ready sky sleuths for an amazing lunar spectacle! A total lunar eclipse is coming up (weather permitting) after dark on Sunday, September 27th when the moon will turn an awesome reddish-orange as it enters the Earth’s umbra. The eclipse will be visible from most of North and South America.
Total Lunar Eclipse
Total lunar eclipses always happen at full moon. This is when the Moon is opposite in the sky as the Sun or put another way when the Earth is between the Sun and Moon. This situation allows for the Earth’s shadow to consume the Moon, and we see an eclipse.
Early on the morning of Wednesday, October 8, 2014 there will be a total lunar eclipse visible for all of the United States. Totality begins at 5:25 a.m. CDT locally here in the DFW area. The moon will be seen (weather permitting) low in the sky on the western horizon. Seek out a good observing location where you will have an unobstructed view of the horizon. The Moon will be an awesome sight even from the most light polluted cities. Observers on the West Coast are better positioned for this eclipse as the moon will be higher in the sky as totality slowly plays out between 3:25 a.m. and 4:24 a.m. PDT.
This month Mars is at opposition (opposite the sun in the sky as seen from Earth). This means our planet is closer to Mars and thus Mars is brighter (-1.5 mag) in our sky, well placed for telescopic observation and generally a lot more interesting to view. Here are some keys dates. On April 8, 2014 Mars will be at opposition (distance to earth: 0.621 AU, brightness: -1.5 mag, diameter: 15.08″). On April 14, 2014 Mars makes its closest approach to Earth (distance to earth: 0.618 AU, brightness: -1.4 mag, diameter: 15.16″). This will be a great time to get out and observe the red planet through a telescope, it’s polar ice caps and light and dark regions, and also how the planet changes over time. It’s not uncommon for dust storms to occur and totally change how we see the planet.
Moon and Mars in Virgo early on the morning of 4/15/2014.
The May 25th penumbral lunar eclipse will be practically imperceptible for creatures viewing from Earth. Most folks won’t even bother to try to see this eclipse and hardcore amateurs with telescopes will probably scoff at the idea of unpacking and setting up their telescopes for this event. That still doesn’t change the fact that however slight the moon’s grazing of the Earth’s penumbral shadow, and this one is about as scant as they get, it still technically counts as an eclipse.
So why is this such a non-event? Well there are three parts that make up a bodies shadow. The penumbra, the umbra and the antumbra. The penumbra is the weak or pale part of an object’s shadow, in this case the Earth’s shadow. From within the penumbra, the Moon is only slightly cast in shadow as in the case of a partial eclipse. This contrasts with the umbra, where the Moon is completely within the Earth’s shadow which sometimes results in a total eclipse. If it’s a total solar eclipse then the Moon’s shadow is cast on the Earth. On the other hand if it’s a total lunar eclipse the Moon passes through the Earth’s shadow, and more specifically, the Earth’s umbra. You can think of the umbra as a cone getting smaller as it retreats from an object. The antumbra is that portion of the shadow past where the umbra’s cone of influence ceases. If you’ve seen an annular eclipse you’ve witnessed the antumbra first hand.
So what we have on May 25th is the Moon ever so slightly creeping into the Earth’s penumbra. The partial eclipse begins at 10:53 p.m. CDT and lasts 33 minutes and 45 seconds, the big non-event will be visible (or not) for all in North America.
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Early risers on Wednesday morning, May 26, 2021 will be treated to a total lunar eclipse hanging low in the western sky.
