Lunar Eclipse 2022:  ‘Super blood moon’

Lunar Eclipse 2022: A look at the stunning pics capturing ‘Super blood moon’ of today May 16th

The first lunar eclipse of 2022 was visible in many parts of the world earlier today.

This is also called as a Blood Moon or a Super Moon. The full moon is closest to the Earth (supermoon) and it coincided with a full lunar eclipse (blood moon), which is why these names are used as well. While the Lunar eclipse was not visible in India, there are several pictures available of the event.

The moon is shown during a full lunar eclipse, Sunday, May 15, 2022, near Moscow, Idaho. The orange color of the moon is caused by the Moon passing into the shadow of the Earth.

The moon is shown with the earth’s shadow obscuring part of it during a lunar eclipse, Sunday, May 15, 2022, near Moscow, Idaho.

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During the eclipse, it looked like the moon had a faint reddish glow as the red wavelengths of solar light filtered through the Earth’s atmosphere to reach the moon’s surface and reflect back.

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During different moments of the eclipse, it also looked like the moon took on shades of orange and brown due to the same reason.

Unfortunately for stargazers in India and the rest of the Indian subcontinent, the eclipse was not visible from here.

But that wasn’t necessarily a problem since the event was being live streamed from a variety of locations.

For some regions where a full lunar eclipse was not visible, like parts of the Middle East and New Zealand, people could still catch a glance of a penumbral lunar eclipse. This happens when the moon turns slightly darker as the penumbra (between a perfect shadow and light) is cast upon the moon. This penumbral eclipse started a full hour before and ended a full hour after the partial eclipse.

This won’t be the last total lunar eclipse of the year. According to NASA’s calendar for lunar eclipses between 2021 and 2030, another total lunar eclipse is scheduled to happen on November 8 this year.

But unlike the eclipse that happened earlier today (May 16), it is more likely that the one in November will be visible on the Indian subcontinent. Some parts of India will be able to witness the eclipse just as the sun sets and the moon rises.