MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Keep an eye to the night sky this weekend! A lunar eclipse will turn the moon a stunning shade of red late Sunday night, May 15th.
The eclipse will be visible across most of the United States and will begin around 9:30pm CT, with the moon turning completely red by 10:30pm. The peak will occur around 11:11pm.
This 'blood red' moon will continue until after Midnight, before the moon slowly starts to return to its normal white color by 1am.
A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth passes between the sun and moon. When Earth's shadow is cast on the moon, blue light is filtered out, causing the moon to turn a deep red color.
While lunar eclipses aren't exactly uncommon, this particular eclipse will happen at a time when the moon's orbit brings it closest to Earth. This will provide a rare 'super moon' lunar eclipse, where the moon appears larger than usual.
You won't need any special equipment to see the eclipse, you'll just need to look up! It may help to go to an area away from city lights, but you'll still be able to see the red moon from inside the city.
Unfortunately for us, mostly cloudy skies and a chance of storms could hinder our view of the eclipse in the Memphis area. Since the moon will be red for a couple of hours, we may still get a peek or two between the clouds. Keep an eye on the latest ABC24 forecast for updates.
If you miss this lunar eclipse, don't worry. Another partial lunar eclipse will be seen in much of the country on November 8th.
