Two weeks after the first solar eclipse of 2022, the Moon will be the main protagonist in the night sky on May 15, when its passage through the Earth's shadow produces a total eclipse, a phenomenon that has inspired fear and fascination in our species since ancient times.
Where can the lunar eclipse be seen?
The lunar eclipse will be visible in America during the night of May 15.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the phenomenon will be seen in the early hours of May 16 from West Africa and Western Europe.
At about 362,131 kilometers from Earth, the Moon will be near perigee (the point of its orbit closest to our planet), so it will appear slightly larger than normal in the night sky.
Passers-by watch a lunar eclipse in Warsaw, Poland.
September, 2019.Radek Pietruszka
What time will the lunar eclipse be on May 15?
In Mexico and Colombia, the partial eclipse will begin at 9:27 p.m., at which time the Moon will begin to gradually disappear into the umbra, the darkest region of the Earth's shadow.
By 9:59 p.m., the lunar disk will be 50% covered by the Earth's shadow according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which will offer a live broadcast of the event on its official site.
The maximum point of the eclipse will arrive one hour and two minutes later, at 22:29.
Then the entire lunar surface within the umbra will bring with it the appearance of the famous red Moon, an optical phenomenon that will last in the celestial vault until 11:53 p.m.
During the next hour, the Moon will cross the Earth's umbra and will leave it at 00:55 on Monday morning, ending the astronomical event.
In Chile, the partial eclipse of May 2022 will start at 22:27.
In Argentina, the lunar disk will be engulfed by the shadow of the Earth starting at 11:27 p.m.
In both countries, the 'Blood Moon' will appear one hour and two minutes later.
Why does the Moon look red during a total eclipse?
The reddish hue of the Moon in an eclipse is due to an optical phenomenon caused by the filtering of light from the Sun through the Earth's atmosphere: as occurs at each sunrise and sunset, the short wavelengths (blue and violet ) scatter and are absorbed more than long (red) wavelengths.
The reflection of the latter on the surface of our natural satellite causes the orange or ocher color that characterizes the total phase of any lunar eclipse.
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