How To See Rare Super Flower Blood Moon During Sunday Night's Total Lunar Eclipse

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A total lunar eclipse will bring a rare super flower blood moon to the night sky this Sunday night.

The last total lunar eclipse happened nearly a year ago on May 26, 2021. If the weather is clear, millions of skywatchers in the Americas, Europe and Africa will be able to view the total lunar eclipse on the night of May 15.

In the Sacramento area, the total eclipse will begin at approximately 8:29 p.m. and end at 9:54 p.m. According to the National Weather Service, the forecast that night calls for mostly clear skies with the greatest cloud coverage expected in far Northern California.

A lunar eclipse happens when the sun, Earth and moon align so that the moon passes through the Earth's shadow. In a total lunar eclipse, the entire moon will pass through the darkest part of Earth's shadow. The moon turns to a reddish hue when this happens, which is why the phenomenon is referred to as a blood moon.

According to NASA, the red hue occurs because the only sunlight reaching the moon passes through Earth's atmosphere. The extent of the dust or clouds within Earth's atmosphere determines how red the moon will appear during a lunar eclipse.

The month of May's full moon is also a supermoon, meaning it appears slightly larger and brighter than usual because it is at its closest point to Earth in its orbit. May's supermoon is often referred to as a flower moon due to the abundance of flowers associated with the Northern Hemisphere's spring season, hence the name super flower blood moon.

If the weather doesn't allow for outdoor viewing of the event, NASA will be running a live stream to allow for various viewpoints of the total lunar eclipse from all over the world.