Get ready for the "Super Flower Blood Moon" total lunar eclipse this weekend.
On Sunday night the sun, moon and Earth will align, casting Earth's shadow on the full moon's surface. The shadow gives the moon a striking reddish hue, hence why lunar eclipses are also called blood moons.
This month's full moon is also a "super moon," meaning it looks bigger and brighter than usual because it's at the closest point to Earth in its orbit. The "flower" denotation is because May's full moon is a spring-themed nickname.
Unlike solar eclipses, eye protection isn't needed to watch a lunar eclipse, but binoculars or a telescope will help improve the viewing.
People who are out of the viewing area can tune in to NASA's livestream this weekend to catch the total lunar eclipse starting at 7:32 p.m. MDT on Sunday.
Go outside with NASA and watch the total lunar eclipse! On the evening of May 15, Earth will pass between the Sun and the Moon, blocking sunlight and casting a shadow on the lunar surface. Starting at 9:32 p.m. EDT (1:32 UTC on May 16), people with clear skies in the Americas, Europe, and parts of Africa will begin to see the Moon get bathed in the red glow of every sunrise and sunset refracted through Earth’s atmosphere. Totality will occur at 12:12 a.m. EDT on May 16 (4:12 UTC).
Join NASA experts to learn about this incredible natural phenomenon, look through telescope views across the world, and hear about plans to return humans to the lunar surface with the Artemis program. Have questions? Ask them in our live chat.
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