SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — The Super Flower Blood moon turns red on May 15, this upcoming Sunday night, as a total lunar eclipse captures the eyes of the world. The best part is that most of the United States will be able to see it — as long as the weather cooperates, of course.
What the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry will see
For those of us in the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry, we have the perfect viewing opportunity from start to finish Sunday night into early Monday morning: 9:32 p.m. to 2:05 a.m.
You will need an unobstructed view due to the moon being low in the sky instead of directly overhead. The max peak of the moon will only be around 40 degrees above the horizon.
| EVENT | Time | Visible |
| Eclipse Begins | 9:32 pm (Sunday) | Yes |
| Partial Eclipse Begins | 10:25 pm | Yes |
| Totality Begins | 11:29 pm | Yes |
| Maximum Total Eclipse | 12:11 am (Monday) | Yes |
| Totality Ends | 12:53 am | Yes |
| Partial Eclipse Ends | 1:55 am | Yes |
| Eclipse Ends | 2:05 am | Yes |
Totality lasts 1 hour and 24 minutes. The moon will gradually turn red throughout that hour. The total length of the lunar eclipse is 5 hours and 19 minutes with it ending at 2:05 a.m.
The lunar eclipse along the east coast will begin at 9:32 p.m. as the Earth slowly moves in between the moon and the sun. Earth’s shadow begins to appear on the moon after 10:25 Sunday night. Earth will cover 100% of the moon by 12:11 Monday morning before slowly moving away from the center.
Again, you will need an unobstructed view due to the moon being low in the sky instead of directly overhead. The max peak of the moon will be around 40 degrees above the horizon.
Totality for this eclipse extends from all of South America to the majority of the United States with only a sliver of the northwest on the cut-off line.
What is a lunar eclipse?
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth moves in between the sun and the moon, blocking out the sun’s light from reaching the moon. While the moon passes behind Earth all the time, it has to be in a certain position that is lined up with its orbital tilt for this to occur; otherwise, this would happen more frequently.
As Earth begins to cast a shadow on the moon, it enters the umbra. This is when the moon begins to darken. Once the Earth completely covers the moon and the umbra is complete, the moon will appear a deep red color.
This red glow comes from the scattering effect of sunlight through the Earth’s atmosphere and the only remaining sunlight comes from the outer edges of Earth. If you were on the moon, you would see a golden glow around Earth.
Don’t be too sad if you miss it…
We have more opportunities within the next few years
If you aren’t able to witness Sunday’s lunar eclipse, we have another chance this November. That is only six months away. Over the next two years, we also have the chance to see at least two partial solar eclipses.
| Total Lunar Eclipse | May 15-16, 2022 | VIEWABLE HERE!! -100% of moon will be Earth’s Shadow -Moon will have red glow |
| Total Lunar Eclipse | November 8, 2022 | VIEWABLE HERE!! -Total Eclipse Visible |
| Annual Solar Eclipse | October 14, 2023 | Totality – Southwest United States Partial – Georgia & South Carolina -Moon covers 40-50% of Sun |
| Total Solar Eclipse “Great American Eclipse” | April 8, 2024 | Total – Texas up to Northeast Partial – Georgia & South Carolina -Moon covers 60-70% of Sun |
SUPER FLOWER BLOOD MOON
Let’s break down the name of Super Flower Blood Moon.
SUPER: Moons are given the name super when we have a full moon during its closest point to Earth (pedigree) in its orbit.
FLOWER: May’s full moon name should be pretty easy to guess why we call it the “flower” moon… because of flowers blooming in May through much of North America. “April showers bring MAY FLOWERS”
BLOOD: This comes from the shade of red the moon will turn during a lunar eclipse. Once the earth moves in front of the sun, the moon will turn a dark, dusty red color. The shade of red colors also depends on what is happening in Earth’s atmosphere: dust, wildfire smoke, etc.
MOON: It’s the moon.
Don’t forget to mark this Sunday, May 15, on your calendars to see the total eclipse. It goes from 9:32 p.m. Sunday night into the early morning hours of Monday morning, ending at 2:05 a.m.
