HONOLULU (KHON2) — When the Earth comes between the Sun and Moon, the full rays of the Sun get blocked by the Earth, causing the shadow of the Earth to darken the moon. The Moon then appears to turn an orange or reddish hue — the more dust or clouds in Earth’s atmosphere during the lunar eclipse, the redder the Moon appears. It’s why lunar eclipses are called “Blood Moons.”
According to NASA, an eclipse happens anywhere between four to seven times a year, when our Earth, Moon and Sun line up just right to create the cosmic-scale shadow. This weekend, skywatchers will be in for a special treat when a total lunar eclipse happens again. It’s the first since May 2021.
On May 15, the total lunar eclipse will be visible from Hawaii at night, but it won’t be the same cosmic show as last year when NASA’s Noah Petro said Hawaii had “the best seat in the house.” It was the first total lunar eclipse in more than two years to coincide with a supermoon.
Petro, who is a project scientist for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, told KHON2 on Thursday that Hawaii will indeed have a view of Sunday’s eclipse but not as central as past ones.
“But the eclipse will be briefly visible at moonrise,” Petro said. “So for our friends in Hawaii, you should head outside when the Moon is about to rise, if it’s clear.”
NASA will be livestreaming the total lunar eclipse at 5 p.m. HST. Experts will be commenting on each step of the process.
According to the Bishop Museum, by the time the Moon rises in Hawaii at around 7:10 p.m., it will already be on its way out of Earth’s shadow, so we won’t be able to see the red hue. Instead, there will be a dark shadow that will retreat across the face of the Moon as it leaves the umbra — the darkest part of Earth’s shadow — over the hour after moonrise.
Tony Smith, supervisor of the J. Watumull Planetarium at Bishop Museum, said the best views will be from eastern facing beaches with a clear horizon. According to Smith, this all occurs at sunset, so with clear skies, it should be a beautiful sight.
The eclipse officially ends at 8:50 p.m., but after 7:55 p.m., the shadow will be hard to see.
“But fear not, you can see the next eclipse on November 8 in its entirety!” Petro said.
Click here for a visibility map of this weekend’s total lunar eclipse.
