NOTTINGHAM, MD—The first lunar eclipse of 2022 will take place next week, and Marylanders could be in for a treat if the weather cooperates.

A total lunar eclipse will be visible in total phase from portions of the Americas, Antarctica, Europe, Africa and the east Pacific on May 15th and 16th.

Space.com reports that the partial eclipse begins May 15 at 10:28 p.m. EDT (0228 GMT on May 16). The Blood Moon will peak May 16 at 12:11 a.m. EDT (0411 GMT). Then the event ends at 1:55 a.m. EDT (0555 GMT). Note: the penumbral moon phase of the eclipse will begin about an hour earlier and end about an hour after the partial eclipse.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth lies directly between the Sun and the Moon, with the Moon in the Earth’s shadow. The Moon will pass through the darkest part of the Earth’s shadow, which is called the umbra.

This will be the first of two lunar eclipses in 2022. The next one will take place on November 8, 2022. It will be visible at least partially from Asia, Australia, North America, parts of northern and eastern Europe, the Arctic and most of South America.

Space.com says that astronomy broadcasting service Slooh’s webcast (below) starts on May 15 at 9:30 p.m. EDT (May 16 0130 GMT). You should hear from astronomy enthusiasts about the eclipse and its cultural significance. Slooh only plans to showcase the total phase publicly, with the partial eclipse covered in a members-only Discord channel.

There will be a livestream at TimeandDate.com (below). Starting at 10 p.m. EDT May 15 (0200 GMT May 16), it plans to broadcast the entire event as long as the weather is cooperative.

Additional information on the 2022 Blood Moon total lunar eclipse can be found online at https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/2022-may-16.

Photo via Pixabay