May 26, 2021 Total Lunar Eclipse: Telescopic View

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  • 
    ID: 13861 Produced Video

    A Double Feature!! Talk to NASA experts about next week's Supermoon AND Lunar Eclipse

    May 17th, 2021
    (updated May 3rd, 2023)

    Quick link to cut B-ROLL for the live shotsSuper Blood Moon: Your Questions AnsweredQuick link to canned interview in Spanish with Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Francisco Andolz || Summer stargazing is starting off at its finest next week with a special treat - certain sky watchers will be able to catch a glimpse of a rare lunar trifecta: a “super blood moon.” Not only will this be the biggest and brightest full moon of the year, it coincides with a total lunar eclipse, where the Moon will appear red for approximately fifteen minutes. NASA experts are available virtually for live or taped interviews on <Tuesday, May 25 from 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EDT to tell your viewers how they can watch this lunar double feature and share highlights of lunar science as NASA prepares to send the next generation of explorers to the Moon with the Artemis program.A supermoon is when a full Moon coincides with the closest point in the Moon's orbit, making it appear larger and brighter than normal. Next week will be the closest the Moon gets to Earth this year.A lunar eclipse occurs on a full moon when the path of the Moon's orbit takes it into Earth's shadow, shielding it from the Sun. The light of all the sunrises and sunsets on Earth are cast on the Moon, giving it the temporary reddish color. The supermoon will be visible across the United States, as well as a total lunar eclipse for those located west of the Mississippi river. Those east of the Mississippi River will see a partial eclipse. To Schedule an interview: Please fill out this form**: https://forms.gle/DaqZhy5eVbwYwYSX7**Please note: this form will close at 12:00 p.m. EDT on Monday, May 24, requests received after that time may not be accommodated.**Interviews will be conducted using video chat programs including Zoom and Skype, in 15-minute slots. For example 600-615 ET, 615-630 EDT, etc. Our preferred program is Zoom. Satellite interviews are not available. Please do not use an IFB unless necessary.*Spanish interviews are available*Participating Experts:Andrea Jones / Science CommunicatorErnie Wright / Science Visualizer Noah Petro / LRO Project ScientistMichelle Thaller / Science CommunicatorBarbara Cohen / Planetary ScientistKelsey Young / Research Space ScientistMolly Wasser / Science CommunicatorFrancisco Andolz* / LRO Mission DirectorLucas Paganini* / NASA Program Scientist*Spanish speaking talentSuggested Questions:We’ll get some excitement looking at the Moon tonight! What makes tonight's Moon so special?You said the Moon will turn red during the lunar eclipse, why is that?We sent people to the Moon with the Apollo program, now we’re going back with Artemis. What are we doing right now to get ready? How does our Moon help us better understand other planets and moons in our solar system?Where can our viewers go to learn more about the Moon? Longer Questions: NASA has been studying the Moon in incredible detail with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter for almost 12 years. What are some of your favorite things we have learned about our Moon?How is the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter helping to usher in a new era of lunar science?A lunar eclipse must be a rough ride for a solar-powered lunar orbiter. What does the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter have to do to prepare for an eclipse?Suggested Anchor Intro:So many of us look up and watch the Moon, and tonight’s Moon is giving us a special show. The second, and also the biggest, supermoon of the year and a lunar eclipse! Here to talk about why tonight’s Moon is so special, and the ongoing effort to return humans to the Moon is NASA expert XXXX. ||

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  • 
    ID: 4906 Visualization

    May 26, 2021 Total Lunar Eclipse: Visibility Map

    May 3rd, 2021
    (updated Aug. 25th, 2023)

    An animated map showing where the May 26, 2021 lunar eclipse is visible. || On May 26, 2021, during early morning in the western Americas, the Moon enters the Earth's shadow, creating a total lunar eclipse, the first in almost two and a half years. This animation shows the region of the Earth where this eclipse is visible. This region shifts to the west during the eclipse. Observers near the edge of the visibility region may see only part of the eclipse because for them, the Moon sets (on the eastern or right-hand edge) or rises (on the western or left-hand edge) while the eclipse is happening.Contour lines mark the edge of the visibility region at the contact times. These are the times when the Moon enters or leaves the umbra (the part of the Earth's shadow where the Sun is completely hidden) and penumbra (the part where the Sun is only partially blocked). For observers located on a contour line, the contact occurs at moonrise (west) or moonset (east). ||

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  • 
    ID: 4903 Visualization

    May 26, 2021 Total Lunar Eclipse: Shadow View

    April 26th, 2021
    (updated Aug. 25th, 2023)

    Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). The Moon moves right to left, passing through the penumbra and umbra, leaving in its wake an eclipse diagram with the times at various stages of the eclipse. || On May 26, 2021, during early morning in the western Americas, the Moon enters the Earth's shadow, creating a total lunar eclipse, the first in almost two and a half years. This animation shows the changing appearance of the Moon as it travels into and out of the Earth's shadow, along with times at various stages. Versions of the animation have been created for both Universal Time (UTC) and Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) &mdash; within the U.S. Lower 48, those in the Pacific time zone are best situated to see the eclipse.The penumbra is the part of the Earth’s shadow where the Sun is only partially covered by the Earth. The umbra is where the Sun is completely hidden. The Moon's appearance isn't affected much by the penumbra. The real action begins when the Moon starts to disappear as it enters the umbra at about 2:45 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time. An hour and a half later, entirely within the umbra, the Moon is a ghostly copper color. For this relatively shallow eclipse, totality lasts only 15 minutes before the Moon begins to emerge from the central shadow.The view in these animations is geocentric. Because of parallax, the Moon's position against the background stars will look a bit different for observers at different locations on the surface of the Earth. The Moon is in the constellation Scorpius. The two bright stars in the upper right are ω1 and ω2 Scorpii. ||

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  • 
    ID: 4874 Visualization

    Moon Phase and Libration, 2021

    Nov. 23rd, 2020
    (updated Aug. 25th, 2023)

    Dial-A-Moon || || See also the Dial-A-Moon for the May 26 total lunar eclipse.Click on the image to download a high-resolution version with feature labels and additional graphics. Hover over the image to reveal the animation frame number, which can be used to locate and download the corresponding frame from any of the animations on this page, including unlabeled high-resolution Moon images. The data in the table for the entire year can be downloaded as a JSON file or as a text file.The animation archived on this page shows the geocentric phase, libration, position angle of the axis, and apparent diameter of the Moon throughout the year 2021, at hourly intervals. Until the end of 2021, the initial Dial-A-Moon image will be the frame from this animation for the current hour.More in this series:Moon Phase and Libration GalleryLunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has been in orbit around the Moon since the summer of 2009. Its laser altimeter (LOLA) and camera (LROC) are recording the rugged, airless lunar terrain in exceptional detail, making it possible to visualize the Moon with unprecedented fidelity. This is especially evident in the long shadows cast near the terminator, or day-night line. The pummeled, craggy landscape thrown into high relief at the terminator would be impossible to recreate in the computer without global terrain maps like those from LRO.The Moon always keeps the same face to us, but not exactly the same face. Because of the tilt and shape of its orbit, we see the Moon from slightly different angles over the course of a month. When a month is compressed into 24 seconds, as it is in this animation, our changing view of the Moon makes it look like it's wobbling. This wobble is called libration.The word comes from the Latin for "balance scale" (as does the name of the zodiac constellation Libra) and refers to the way such a scale tips up and down on alternating sides. The sub-Earth point gives the amount of libration in longitude and latitude. The sub-Earth point is also the apparent center of the Moon's disk and the location on the Moon where the Earth is directly overhead.The Moon is subject to other motions as well. It appears to roll back and forth around the sub-Earth point. The roll angle is given by the position angle of the axis, which is the angle of the Moon's north pole relative to celestial north. The Moon also approaches and recedes from us, appearing to grow and shrink. The two extremes, called perigee (near) and apogee (far), differ by as much as 14%.The most noticed monthly variation in the Moon's appearance is the cycle of phases, caused by the changing angle of the Sun as the Moon orbits the Earth. The cycle begins with the waxing (growing) crescent Moon visible in the west just after sunset. By first quarter, the Moon is high in the sky at sunset and sets around midnight. The full Moon rises at sunset and is high in the sky at midnight. The third quarter Moon is often surprisingly conspicuous in the daylit western sky long after sunrise.Celestial north is up in these images, corresponding to the view from the northern hemisphere. The descriptions of the print resolution stills also assume a northern hemisphere orientation. (There is also a south-up version of this page.) ||

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