Super Blood Moon 2021 - Wed. May 26th

This super blood moon will also line up in its closest approach to our planet. Here on the east coast we will not be able to see the super blood moon, but you can view it by clicking on the Griffith Observatory link. If you are on the east coast then you can wake up really early and view a live feed of the eclipse on the Griffith Observatory website from 1:45 AM to 5:50 AM Pacific time or 4:45 AM to 8:50 AM Eastern time. The moon will enter the penumbra, Earth's outer shadow. Around 2:45 AM Pacific time the moon will turn a reddish color, and around 4:11 AM will fall completely within Earth's inner umbral shadow and its full face will become a deep, dark red.

What happens during a lunar eclipse?

When our planet comes between the sun and moon a lunar eclipse happens! The moonglow that we see is the reflected sunlight, and the as the moon falls into the Earth's shadow the lunar surface will gradually darken. During the eclipse a small amount of sunlight gets lensed around the edges of our planet. Our atmosphere filters out everything expect the longer, redder wavelengths that are projected onto the moon.

Why is it a supermoon?

The moon's orbit is an ellipse, therefore sometimes it will be closer or farther from our planet. When the moon is close to the horizon, it tends to appear extremely big. This optical illusion has defied complete explanation.