The first total lunar eclipse or Blood Moon of this year will be on May 26, 2021. The lunar eclipse takes place when the Earth comes in between the moon and sun, blocking the sun rays from directly reaching the moon.
The eclipse on May 26 will be a total lunar eclipse as the full moon will pass through the dark umbral shadow of Earth. It will also be the first total eclipse since January 21, 2019.
On the day of the total lunar eclipse, the moon will be closest to the Earth and because of it, it will look larger in size in the sky. The eclipse will be visible at night if the sky is clear. In some places around the world, the entire total lunar eclipse will be easily visible, while in some other areas, the moon will rise or set during the total eclipse.
What is Blood Moon?A total lunar eclipse is also often called the Blood Moon. It is known by this name due to the reddish tinge that appears on the moon during a lunar eclipse. Even though the Blood Moon is not a scientific term, it has been widely used in recent times. The reddish tinge happens because the light from the Earth’s sunrise and sunset directly fall on the moon and as the light waved are stretched out, they appear red in color. |
A total lunar eclipse will occur on the 26th of this month! 🤩
— NASA Space Place (@NASAspaceplace) May 5, 2021
During a lunar eclipse, Earth gets in the way of the Sun’s light hitting the Moon, causing it to gradually appear reddish.
Help your students learn all about eclipses with our article here: https://t.co/C5vkfJok6f pic.twitter.com/S4niqpGW4g
About Lunar Eclipses:
The Lunar eclipses take place when the shadow of the Earth blocks the sunlight, which is normally reflected off the moon. There are typically three types of lunar eclipses- Total, Partial and Penumbral.
During the total lunar eclipse, the inner part of the Earth’s shadow called Umbra falls on the moon’s surface. During mid-eclipse, the entire moon will be in the shadow, hence appearing as blood read.
Total Lunar Eclipse 2021: Where it will be visible?
The first lunar eclipse of 2021 on May 26 will be visible in Australia, South, and East Asia, Pacific, part of the Western United States, Western South America, Antarctica, Indian Ocean, Atlantic. It will not be visible in India.
Total Lunar Eclipse: What will be the timings?
The Total Lunar Eclipse will be at its peak at around 4.49 pm IST (Indian Standard Time). The eclipse will start at 2.16 pm IST and between 4.41 pm IST to 4.56 pm IST, the moon’s surface will be entirely covered by the Earth’s Umbra. This will be the time when it will clearly visible.
Eclipses in 2021:
There are four to seven eclipses every year, on average. Some of them are partial and some of them are total eclipses. Below mentioned are the eclipses that the world will see in 2021.
- May 26- Total Lunar Eclipse
- June 10- Annual Solar Eclipse
- November 19- Partial Lunar Eclipse
- December 4- Total Lunar Eclipse
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