Soon a lunar eclipse will be visible in the USA: how to observe

This month, most of North America will see a total lunar eclipse - the "blood moon". You can watch this space show in most of North America, all of South America and West Africa, and parts of Western Europe from May 15 to 16. Lifehacker.

May lunar eclipse timetable

If all goes according to plan, the eclipse will occur at the following times:

• May 15 at 21:31 : The penumbral eclipse begins. This is when the earth's shadow first passes in front of the moon.
• May 15 at 22:27 pm: Partial eclipse begins. The moon enters the darkest part of the earth's shadow.
• May 16 at 00:02: Maximum eclipse! This is the moment we've been waiting for, when the eclipse becomes total!
• May 16 at 00:53: End of total eclipse.
• May 16 at 1:54 am: Completion of partial eclipse.
• May 16 at 2:52 am: End of penumbral eclipse. The moon returns to normal.

By the way, what is a lunar eclipse?

A lunar eclipse is when the Earth's shadow passes in front of the Moon and briefly obscures it. Eclipses can be partial, when only part of the Earth's shadow obscures the Moon. Or full, when the entire moon is obscured by the shadow of the Earth. However, the moon does not completely disappear. Light from Earth's sunsets and sunrises still manages to reach the lunar surface, and these stretched light waves make the Moon appear red. We call it the Blood Moon.

Do I need eye protection to watch a lunar eclipse?

Unlike a solar eclipse, you can watch a lunar eclipse without any eye protection.

Why is the May Moon called the "Flower Moon"?

The names of the moons are informal and are based on the lunar calendars used by the Native Americans. The May nickname "Flower Moon" comes from the Algonquian peoples and is based on the fact that flowers bloom in May.

Most Native American groups named the May moon in honor of the return of spring. The Cree called it "Starting Moon", after the local plants. The Dakota called it "Landing Moon" because it's a good time to land. The Ogala tribe calls the May moon "Molting Pony Moon".

On the subject: Solar eclipse 2022: how to watch it from America

Are there any interesting historical events associated with lunar eclipses?

Back in 1504, Christopher Columbus was stuck in what is now Jamaica. His ships were damaged in a storm, and his crew survived largely thanks to the mercy of the Arawak people. But tensions grew between the groups. The intruders abused their hospitality by robbing their hosts and killing some of them, so they stopped bringing food to Columbus and his crew. Faced with famine, Columbus met with the head of the group and said, “Listen: God is angry with you because you stop bringing us food. He is so angry that in a couple of nights the moon will turn red.” Columbus consulted an astronomy textbook and knew that the eclipse would occur on the night he predicted.

When the night of the eclipse came, the moon really turned red, and the Arawak begged Columbus to intercede for him before God. Columbus pretended to convince the god to spare the Arawak by timing his prayers to coincide with the precise moments of the total eclipse. The moon returned to normal, and an impressed Arawak continued to feed the lazy invaders until they were rescued a few months later.

This story seems to be a myth, but it really happened, according to the story of the journey of the son of Christopher Columbus.

Random fact about the moon

In the second century, the Roman writer Lucian wrote the first science fiction story. In True Story, explorers go into space on a ship and find themselves in the midst of a war between the moon and the sun.