On Sunday as the sun sets over North America the Earth, Moon and Sun will start to align. The eclipse starts before the moon rises over the West Coast. And as the moon climbs above the horizon, it begins to turn red.
The shifting color is due to changes in the light reflecting off the moon during the alignment.
“During a lunar eclipse, the moon turns red because the only sunlight reaching the moon passes through Earth’s atmosphere,” NASA explained.
“The more dust or clouds in Earth’s atmosphere during the eclipse, the redder the Moon will appear,” NASA added. This dust could come from a variety of sources, such as wildfires or volcanic eruptions.
The entire eclipse will be over five hours long. It starts at 9:32 p.m. EDT on Sunday, May 15th. And it lasts until 2:50 a.m. EDT on Monday, May 16th.
The peak viewing opportunity of the Blood Red phase lasts about an hour-and-a-half. This starts at 11:29 p.m. EDT. And it’s over at 12:53 a.m. EDT. The middle of the eclipse will be the best time to look at the moon and will occur at 12:11 a.m. EDT.
