(SPOT.ph) If you missed the "pink supermoon" that happened on April 27, then the night sky has something even more special to show on May 26: a total lunar eclipse or a "blood moon." It starts at 4:57 p.m., which obviously we won't see because it's not dark yet; but you can watch for it as soon as the moon rises, then wait for the total eclipse at 7:18 p.m. What makes this eclipse even more special is that the moon is really close to earth when it happens (even closer and bigger than what we saw on April 27), making it a "super blood moon."
Also read: 10 Epic Shots of the "Pink Supermoon" Over the Philippines
Now, while there's no actual blood or vampires hanging around when it happens; the "super blood moon" is named that way because a fully eclipsed moon usually has a reddish color. This happens because, when the moon goes behind the earth's shadow and away from the sun, some sunlight still reaches the lunar surface—but not before being dispersed or scattered by the Earth's atmosphere. We do know that there's this phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering that happens when sunlight passes through droplets in the air and bursts into one or two or more colors—the same reason we see colorful sunrises and sunsets.
According to PAGASA's Astronomical Diary, this is the timeline of the upcoming super blood moon on May 26:
4:47 p.m. - Penumbral eclipse begins
5:44 p.m. - Partial eclipse begins
6:14 p.m. - The moon rises
7:11 p.m. - Total eclipse starts
7:18 p.m. - The lunar eclipse at maximum
7:25 p.m. - Total eclipse ends
8:52 p.m. - Partial eclipse ends
9:49 p.m. - Penumbral eclipse ends
4:49 a.m. (next day) - The moon sets
UPDATED (May 26): This article has been updated to include the eclipse timeline from PAGASA.
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