May's Blood Moon will be a lunar eclipse visible over North America. Here's how, when to watch
One of two lunar eclipses this year will cross over skies and be visible in the United States this month.
For the first time this year, the sun, Earth and moon will align on the night of May 15 into the morning hours of May 16 over North America, causing a lunar eclipse.
During the eclipse, the moon will only receive sunlight bent through the Earth's atmosphere and will change color over the minutes, from gray to pink to orange to red.
The full moon in May is also known as the Flower Moon, signifying the blooms that come with spring and appear in North America during the month. It has also been called the Planting Moon, Milk Moon or Hare Moon.
According to the Adler Planetarium, the lunar eclipse will also be known as a Blood Moon, a term used to describe the moon's reddish or orange color during the total lunar eclipse.
The second lunar eclipse this year will occur in the early morning hours of Nov. 8.
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How to watch the Flower Moon lunar eclipse
The eclipse will begin when the Earth's shadow appears on the moon at 10:27 p.m. May 15. Over the course of an hour, the shadow will creep across the moon, plunging the lunar surface into darkness.
Totality, or when the moon is entirely in the Earth's shadow, will occur between 11:29 p.m. May 15 and 12:53 a.m. May 16.
NASA Science Live is planning a YouTube live broadcast beginning at 9:32 p.m. May 15, including a live chat and discussions from experts about plans to return humans to the moon through the Artemis program.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Blood Moon lunar eclipse visible in skies in May: How to watch
