May 2021 lunar eclipse

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May 2021 lunar eclipse
Total eclipse
Mountain View, California at 11:23 UTC, end of totality
Date26 May 2021
Gamma0.4774
Magnitude1.0095
Saros cycle121 (55 of 82)
Totality14 minutes, 30 seconds
Partiality187 minutes, 25 seconds
Penumbral302 minutes, 2 seconds
Contacts (UTC)
P18:47:39
U19:44:57
U211:11:25
Greatest11:18:40
U311:25:55
U412:52:22
P413:49:41
This animation shows the Moon moving west to east, passing into the shadow of Earth in Scorpius near the Milky Way. It first enters the outer penumbral shadow, and then the dark umbral shadow. Here, the brightness of the Moon is exaggerated within the umbral shadow. The southern part of the Moon is darkest due to it being closest to the centre of the shadow.

A total lunar eclipse occurred on 26 May 2021.[1] A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are exactly or very closely aligned (in syzygy) with Earth between the other two, which can only happen at a full moon. The eclipsed moon appeared as a faint red disk in the sky due to a small amount of light being refracted through the Earth's atmosphere; this appearance gives a lunar eclipse its nickname of a Blood Moon.

It was the first total lunar eclipse since the January 2019 lunar eclipse, and the first in a series of an almost tetrad (with four consecutive total or deep partial lunar eclipses).[2] The next total eclipse occurred in May 2022. The event took place near lunar perigee; as a result, this supermoon was referred to in US media coverage as a "super flower blood moon",[Note 1][3][4] and elsewhere as a "super blood moon".[5][6]

It was followed two weeks later by an annular solar eclipse on 10 June 2021 over the northern polar regions of Earth.

This lunar eclipse was the first of an almost tetrad, the others being 19 Nov 2021 (P), 16 May 2022 (T) and 08 Nov 2022 (T).

Visibility[edit]

The total lunar eclipse was visible over the Pacific Ocean, Oceania, and Antarctica in its entirety. Observers located in southern and eastern Asia saw the eclipse at moonrise, whilst observers located in western North America and western South America saw the eclipse at moonset.[7]


Visibility map

Contact timing[edit]

Local times are recomputed here for the time zones of the areas where the eclipse was visible:

Local times of contacts
Time Zone
adjustments from
UTC 		+8h +10h +12h -10h -8h -7h -6h -5h -4h
AWST AEST NZST HST AKDT PDT MDT CDT EDT
Event Evening 26 May / Morning 27 May Morning 26 May
P1 Penumbral began 4:48 pm 6:48 pm 8:48 pm 10:48 pm 12:48 am 1:48 am 2:48 am 3:48 am 4:48 am
U1 Partial began 5:45 pm 7:45 pm 9:45 pm 11:45 pm 1:45 am 2:45 am 3:45 am 4:45 am 5:16 am
U2 Total began 7:11 pm 9:11 pm 11:11 pm 1:11 am 3:11 am 4:11 am 5:11 am 6:11 am Set
Greatest eclipse 7:19 pm 9:19 pm 11:19 pm 1:19 am 3:19 am 4:19 am 5:19 am 6:19 am Set
U3 Total ended 7:26 pm 9:26 pm 11:26 pm 1:26 am 3:26 am 4:26 am 5:26 am Set Set
U4 Partial ended 8:52 pm 10:52 pm 12:52 am 2:52 am 4:52 am Set Set Set Set
P4 Penumbral ended 9:50 pm 11:50 pm 1:50 am 3:50 am 5:50 am Set Set Set Set
Contact points relative to the Earth's umbral and penumbral shadows, here with the Moon near its descending node.
The timing of total lunar eclipses are determined by its contacts:[8]
  • P1 (First contact): Beginning of the penumbral eclipse. Earth's penumbra touches the Moon's outer limb.
  • U1 (Second contact): Beginning of the partial eclipse. Earth's umbra touches the Moon's outer limb.
  • U2 (Third contact): Beginning of the total eclipse. The Moon's surface is entirely within Earth's umbra.
  • Greatest eclipse: The peak stage of the total eclipse. The Moon is at its closest to the center of Earth's umbra.
  • U3 (Fourth contact): End of the total eclipse. The Moon's outer limb exits Earth's umbra.
  • U4 (Fifth contact): End of the partial eclipse. Earth's umbra leaves the Moon's surface.
  • P4 (Sixth contact): End of the penumbral eclipse. Earth's penumbra no longer makes contact with the Moon.

Observations[edit]

Related eclipses[edit]

Eclipses of 2021[edit]

Lunar year series[edit]

Lunar eclipse series sets from 2020–2023
Descending node   Ascending node
Saros Date Type
Viewing 		Gamma Saros Date
Viewing 		Type
Chart 		Gamma
111
 2020 Jun 05
 Penumbral
 1.24063 116
 2020 Nov 30
 Penumbral
 −1.13094
121
 2021 May 26
 Total
 0.47741 126
 2021 Nov 19
 Partial
 −0.45525
131
 2022 May 16
 Total
 −0.25324 136
 2022 Nov 08
 Total
 0.25703
141
 2023 May 05
 Penumbral
 −1.03495 146
 2023 Oct 28
 Partial
 0.94716
Last set 2020 Jul 05 Last set 2020 Jan 10
Next set 2024 Mar 25 Next set 2024 Sep 18

Saros series[edit]

This eclipse was the 55th eclipse and final total eclipse of Saros cycle 121.[9]

Metonic series[edit]

First eclipse: May 26, 2002 Second eclipse: May 26, 2021. Third eclipse: May 26, 2040. Fourth eclipse: May 27, 2059.

Tzolkinex[edit]

Half-Saros cycle[edit]

A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros).[10] This lunar eclipse is related to two annular solar eclipses of Solar Saros 128.

May 20, 2012 June 1, 2030

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ A full moon occurring in May has been termed a "Flower moon" in the US as recorded in the Old Farmer's Almanac.

References[edit]

  1. ^ 2021 May 26 chart: Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC
  2. ^ "26 May 2021 Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)". timeanddate.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  3. ^ Look up! The Super Flower Blood Moon lunar eclipse is coming 26 May Archived 2021-05-24 at the Wayback Machine www.space.com
  4. ^ "The 'Super Flower Blood Moon' Is About to Light Up Skies! How to Watch This Week's Celestial Event". People.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  5. ^ "Sydney takes 'pole position' in rare super blood moon display". smh.com.au. 26 May 2021. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  6. ^ "Catch the super flower blood moon last night? It may not have been all it was cracked up to be". abc.net.au. 26 May 2021. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  7. ^ "26 May 2021 Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)". timeanddate.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  8. ^ Clarke, Kevin. "On the nature of eclipses". Inconstant Moon. Cyclopedia Selenica. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
  9. ^ "Total Lunar Eclipse of 26 May, 2021 AD". moonblink.info. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  10. ^ Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Jean Meeus, p.110, Chapter 18, The half-saros

Media related to Lunar eclipse of 2021 May 26 at Wikimedia Commons

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