Coming soon to a sky near you: A lunar eclipse

Moon will turn red Sunday night in spectacular celestial event

Hey, skywatchers, this weekend there’s a special treat in store for you: a total lunar eclipse.

The celestial event is being called May’s “must-see skywatching event,” Space.com notes, and it should be visible in the skies above Yuma, as long as the clouds cooperate.

The event will take place Sunday night, May 15, when the moon, Earth and sun align just right. The moon and the sun will line up on exact opposite sides of the Earth, and the moon falls into Earth’s shadow, NASA notes.

Fortunately, this event is an early one.

At 6:32 p.m., the penumbral eclipse begins. Here in Yuma, moonrise is expected at 7:22 p.m., so we might miss the very beginning of the eclipse, but that’s OK. The exciting stuff comes later anyway.

By 7:27 p.m., half the moon will be in Earth’s shadow. At 8:29 p.m., the moon will be vividly red as totality begins, with the greatest eclipse visible at 9:11 p.m. Totality ends at 9:53 p.m., and by 10:55 p.m., the partial eclipse will be over. By 11:50 p.m., the moon will be back to normal. Please note: these times are according to TimeAndDate.com, and specific to Yuma.

During totality, we can expect the moon to be a “ghostly copper color,” NASA notes, which will last for an hour and a half. That reddish color is due to the Earth’s atmosphere and the effects of sunlight passing through it.

This eclipse is safe to look at with the naked eye, because the sun is at your back, NPR reports.

And because we’re so close to the West Coast, it’s going to be especially spectacular, appearing low on the horizon. Plus, Yuma often provides an excellent viewing point for events such as this because there are so many spaces near us with low light pollution.

This is a spectacular event, readers. It’s a supermoon, which will appear about 7% bigger and 15% brighter than a regular full moon, NASA notes.

The moon will go from its normal colors to vibrant pinks, oranges and red.

You don’t need anything fancy to watch – but a good pair of binoculars or a telescope will enhance the experience.

And because this is an early event, the kids can check it out too, even on a school night.

Head outside Sunday night, Yuma, and check out this awesome eclipse. And if you miss this one, don’t worry – there’s a second one this year on Nov. 8.