GUELPH – Time to take out your telescopes and binoculars. A Blood Flower Moon Lunar Eclipse will take place on May 15 starting at 10:30 p.m. eastern time. It's the first of two lunar events happening this year.
University of Guelph lecturer Jason (Orbax) Thomas says, “it is the one you don’t want to miss.”
Traditionally the blood moon is named after the burgundy hue the moon admits as the earth's shadow; however, since spring is a time for bloom, the "flower” was added to the name to mark the event.
The name simply refers to this eclipse in May during the spring bloom, remarked Orbax.
“When light passes through the Earth’s atmosphere, it scatters, and shorter wavelengths such as blue light are diverted away from the moon, whereas longer wavelengths like red light will pass through and illuminate the moon,” explained Orbax, adding the reddish glow of is also due to Earth’s shadow.
This lunar eclipse should be easy to observe because the moon is already large and bright in May, Orbax added. No complex equipment will be necessary to watch, but “if you want to get some extra definition while viewing, a pair of binoculars or a small telescope would help,” he said, adding that he recommends getting away from the city to avoid light pollution.
