There is a chance to see a total lunar eclipse on May 15th. It is a great opportunity to stop and look up into the sky, and we have information on how you can watch the event, whether you want to head outside and see it yourself or stay wrapped up warm inside and watch online.
An eclipse happens when the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun. There are partial lunar eclipses in which part of the moon is shadowed by the Earth, but this weekend is a rarer total lunar eclipse. When the moon is in complete shadow, this happens once every one-and-a-half years.
As the Earth, sun, and moon move into position, you will see a shadow appear across the face of the moon. The totality is the point at which the shadow completely covers the moon.
NASA has a helpful video that explains how lunar eclipses are different from solar eclipses or phases of the moon.
Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are safe to look at and require no special equipment. If you don't have a telescope or binoculars, you can see the eclipse with the naked eye, provided there aren't clouds in the way.
It is possible to view the eclipse from anywhere in the world during the right hours. In this case, that includes a full view of every stage of the eclipse from the eastern half of the United States and all of South America. Most of Africa and central Europe will see totality from other places. You can see when totality will occur by looking at the interactive NASA map.
It will be easy to see the eclipse when it happens. Go outside!
If the skies are clear, we may even be able to see more stars.
You can watch the eclipse online if you can get outside, if the weather is bad, or if you're in a place that won't be dark at the right time. NASA has a stream of the eclipse featuring views from telescopes around the world. The stream starts at 11 pm. The time is 8 p.m. You can watch along using the video embedded below.
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