It won’t be just any old “Blood Moon,” you know. The total lunar eclipse that will occur on Sunday, May 15 into the early hours of Monday, May 16, 2022 is also a “supermoon.” It’s also has a twin and is the first of two of most “balanced” lunar eclipses for four centuries.
1. It’s a longest ‘prime-time totality’ this century
If prime time is defined as the period between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. then this eclipse will produce the longest prime-time totality this century for observers in the Pacific Time Zone, according to Timeanddate.com.
2. It’s a technical ‘supermoon’
This total lunar eclipse occurs close to the Moon’s perigee—the point in space when it’s closest to the Earth during its monthly orbit—which will make the Moon appear about 7% larger than average. The full “Flower Moon” will be 225,015 miles/362,127 km from Earth on May 16, 2022, so it’s technically a “supermoon,” though the full Moons of June, July and August this year are actually closer.
The eclipse itself is purely a visual event, but the “supermoon” nature of the Moon’s position will mean a very high and very low perigean spring tide—a.k.a. a “king tide—so brings the threat of flooding to coastal areas.
A map showing where the May 15-16, 2022 lunar eclipse is visible. Contours mark the edge of the … [+] visibility region at eclipse contact times. The map is centered on 63°52’W, the sublunar longitude at mid-eclipse.
NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio
3. It’s a global event visible by half the planet
Unlike moonrises and moonsets an eclipse of the Moon takes place at the same global time. You’re either on the night-side of Earth as the full Moon moves into Earth’s shadow … or you’re not.
Here’s the celestial schedule for North America on Sunday May 15 and into Monday, 16, 2022.
11:29 p.m.-oo:53 a.m. EDT on Sunday May 15-Monday, 16, 2022 (peak totality at 00:11 a.m.)
10:29-11:53 p.m. CDT on Sunday May 15, 2022 (peak totality at 11:11 p.m.)
9:29-10:53 p.m. MDT on Sunday May 15, 2022 (peak totality at 10:11 p.m.)
8:29-9:53 p.m. PDT on Sunday May 15, 2022 (peak totality at 9:11 p.m.)
If you’re outside during these times and the sky is clear you’ll see a “Blood Moon” in glorious reddish hues.
4. It’s got a once-in-430 years ‘twin’ eclipse
There are actually two total lunar eclipses this year, with the next one 145 days later on November 7-8, 2022. Weirdly that also features an 84-minute totality (it’s actually four seconds longer). That’s highly unusual. In fact, again according to Timeanddate.com, it’s the most balanced pair of lunar eclipses in 430 years.
A view of the Super Blue Blood Moon rising over the USS Midway in San Diego, California on January … [+] 31, 2018. Stargazers across large swathes of the globe — from the streets of Los Angeles to the slopes of a smouldering Philippine volcano — had the chance to witness a rare “super blue blood Moon” Wednesday, when Earth’s shadow bathed our satellite in a coppery hue. / AFP PHOTO / Sandy Huffaker (Photo credit should read SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
5. Europe will get a glimpse of the ‘Blood Moon’ setting
Although the eclipse is ideally timed for viewing from most of the Western Hemisphere, including the Lower 48 of the United States, that means half the Eastern Hemisphere misses out completely. The total phase occurs near moonset in Africa and western Europe, so it will be viewed only briefly low on the western horizon just before moonset and sunrise. Here’s how, when and where to see the total lunar eclipse in the UK according to BBC Sky At Night.
6. Totality will be long and dark
Totality will last for 84 minutes because the Moon will travel through the southern half of the Earth’s shadow. Consequently the Moon’s northern limb—which will be closest to the center of Earth’s shadow—is predicted to be rather dark during totality.
During totality the “Blood Moon” will shine close to the red supergiant star Antares.
Stellarium
7. The ‘Blood Moon’ will shine close to an orange star
During the eclipse the Moon will be visible against the backdrop of the stars of the constellation of Libra “the scales.” The more prominent stars of neighboring Scorpius, visible to the Moon’s lower left, will include the orangey Antares.
The 15th brightest star in the night sky and unmistakably reddish when viewed with the naked eye, Antares – which means “rival of Mars – is 600 light-years away about 700 times larger than the Sun.
The “Blood Moon” will be directly overhead Salar de Uyuni—also called the Bolivian salt flats—which … [+] cover 4,000 square miles/10,000 square kilometers.
Jamie Carter
8. The best view is from Bolivia
The “Blood Moon” will be directly overhead Salar de Uyuni—also called the Bolivian salt flats—which cover 4,000 square miles/10,000 square kilometers. This so-called “sublunar point” of the eclipse is also the area of the world with the highest chance of clear skies. Rich in lithium, table salt and gypsum, the incredibly flat and bright (from space) landscape is sometimes used by scientists to calibrate satellite imagers and altimeters. It’s also a fabulous place to go stargazing and, this weekend, moongazing.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The body of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei — who died after being set on fire by her partner in Kenya — was received Friday by family and anti-femicide crusaders, ahead of her burial a day later.
Cheptegei’s family met with dozens of activists Friday who had marched to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s morgue in the western city of Eldoret while chanting anti-femicide slogans.
She is the fourth female athlete to have been killed by her partner in Kenya in yet another case of gender-based violence in recent years.
Viola Cheptoo, the founder of Tirop Angels – an organization that was formed in honor of athlete Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death in 2021, said stakeholders need to ensure this is the last death of an athlete due to gender-based violence.
“We are here to say that enough is enough, we are tired of burying our sisters due to GBV,” she said.
It was a somber mood at the morgue as athletes and family members viewed Cheptegei’s body which sustained 80% of burns after she was doused with gasoline by her partner Dickson Ndiema. Ndiema sustained 30% burns on his body and later succumbed.
Ndiema and Cheptegei were said to have quarreled over a piece of land that the athlete bought in Kenya, according to a report filed by the local chief.
Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack. She finished in 44th place.
Cheptegei’s father, Joseph, said that the body will make a brief stop at their home in the Endebess area before proceeding to Bukwo in eastern Uganda for a night vigil and burial on Saturday.
“We are in the final part of giving my daughter the last respect,” a visibly distraught Joseph said.
He told reporters last week that Ndiema was stalking and threatening Cheptegei and the family had informed police.
Four in 10 women or an estimated 41% of dating or married Kenyan women have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent partner, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together.
Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the jar, which smashed into pieces.
Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son — the youngest of three — is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash, “please let that not be my child” was the first thought that raced through his head.
The jar has been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years. It was one of the only containers of its size and from that period still complete when it was discovered.
The Bronze Age jar is one of many artifacts exhibited out in the open, part of the Hecht Museum’s vision of letting visitors explore history without glass barriers, said Inbal Rivlin, the director of the museum, which is associated with Haifa University in northern Israel.
It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and dates back to between 2200 and 1500 B.C.
Rivlin and the museum decided to turn the moment, which captured international attention, into a teaching moment, inviting the Geller family back for a special visit and hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.
Rivlin added that the incident provided a welcome distraction from the ongoing war in Gaza. “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world,“ said Rivlin.
Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.
Experts used 3D technology, hi-resolution videos, and special glue to painstakingly reconstruct the large jar.
Less than two weeks after it broke, the jar went back on display at the museum. The gluing process left small hairline cracks, and a few pieces are missing, but the jar’s impressive size remains.
The only noticeable difference in the exhibit was a new sign reading “please don’t touch.”
VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province.
Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.”
Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public.
“So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview.
B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.
Scapillati said the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government.
Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement that they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers “have the trust of the communities they serve,” and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies.
Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, said they’ve been calling for such a committee for decades.
“This move demonstrates the government is listening,” said Fox. “I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are.”
Fox said the partnership came from “a place of long frustration” as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is “no longer tolerating this kind of approach.”
“I think that the conservation officer service and the B.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it,” said Fox.
Fox said there’s a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through.
“I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, ” said Fox.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.
