Get ready for the super flower blood moon: Here’s how and when to see the lunar spectacular

By Zlati Meyer

May 25, 2021

“Super flower blood moon” sure has a lot of modifiers, but Wednesday’s lunar viewing is, after all, a big deal.

Here’s a breakdown of the three-for-one special that will take place on May 26:

    Super Moon: When the moon is slightly closer to Earth, the full moon is larger and brighter than other months’ full moons.

    Flower Moon: In May, the full moon is also known as the Flower Moon. According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, the term comes from the Algonquin tribe and is a reference to the many flowers that bloom in North America during the month.

    Blood Moon: This name alluded to the moon’s reddish color, which happens when the moon completely passes through the Earth’s shadow—a lunar eclipse!

“The total eclipse phase will be visible near moonset in the western United States and Canada, all of Mexico, most of Central America and Ecuador, western Peru, and southern Chile and Argentina,” according to NASA’s website. “The eclipse can be seen in its entirety in eastern Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands, including Hawaii,”

The eclipse is expected to start 1:46 a.m. PDT, with the fun ending at 5:53 a.m. The moon heads into the darkest section of our planet’s shadow at 2:45 a.m.

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