Total lunar eclipse 2015 – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Chris Harwood
We are sure you are familiar with the age-old adage “The early bird gets the worm.”
Tomorrow, Florida residents who practice this saying will be in for a rare treat—a supermoon eclipse!
For those who have troubles waking up early but want to catch a glimpse of the rare astronomical phenomena, let this serve as a reminder that the last time the Americas caught a lunar eclipse of this magnitude was over two years ago.
While Florida will only be able to visualize a partial eclipse, the sight will be no less spectacular than what it sounds like.
A supermoon eclipse occurs when the Earth’s shadow blocks the sun’s light from reaching the surface of the moon, casting a shadowed bright orange-reddish hue on the moon. Light from the sun is refracted around the Earth and cast on the moon.
In order to be able to catch the event, alarms in Florida must be set for an early start time on Wednesday, May 26.
Below, we have pieced together an easy how-to catch guide for the blood-red, supermoon lunar eclipse tomorrow morning:
Event Details
What: Partial Lunar Super Flower Blood Moon Eclipse
When: Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 26
Where: Anywhere in Florida with clear skies
Price: Free
Start Time: 5:44 a.m. EDT
Peak Viewing: 6:30 a.m. EDT
Moonset: 6:33 a.m. EDT
Sunrise: 6:30 a.m. EDT
Attached below is a timetable courtesy of Space.com skywatching columnist Joe Rao:
| Stage | ADT | EDT | CDT | MDT | PDT | AKDT | HST |
| 1) Moon enters penumbra | 5:47 | 4:47 | 3:47 | 2:47 | 1:47 | 12:47 | 10:47* |
| 2) Penumbral shadow appears | — | 5:27 | 4:27 | 3:27 | 2:27 | 1:27 | 11:27* |
| 3) Moon enters umbra | — | 5:44 | 4:44 | 3:44 | 2:44 | 1:44 | 11:44* |
| 4) 75% coverage | — | — | 5:49 | 4:49 | 3:49 | 2:49 | 12:49 |
| 5) Five minutes to totality | — | — | 6:06 | 5:06 | 4:06 | 3:06 | 1:06 |
| 6) Total eclipse begins | — | — | 6:11 | 5:11 | 4:11 | 3:11 | 1:11 |
| 7) Middle of totality | — | — | 6:19 | 5:19 | 4:19 | 3:19 | 1:19 |
| 8) Total eclipse ends | — | — | 6:25 | 5:25 | 4:25 | 3:25 | 1:25 |
| 9) 75% coverage | — | — | — | 5:47 | 4:47 | 3:47 | 1:47 |
| 10) Moon leaves umbra | — | — | — | — | 5:52 | 4:52 | 2:52 |
| 11) Penumbral shadow fades | — | — | — | — | 6:09 | 5:09 | 3:09 |
| 12) Moon leaves penumbra | — | — | — | — | — | 5:49 | 3:49 |
Tomorrow morning’s event is estimated to only last for a mere three minutes before everything returns to normal and the alignment of the Sun, Earth, and Moon scatter.
The best spot on Earth to watch tomorrow’s event would be Hawaii and Oceania. Next would be California and the Pacific Northwest—but for us Floridians, home will do just fine.
Florida won’t get the full view, but it’s still pretty neat to see.
According to NASA, during the 21st century, Earth will experience a total of 228 lunar eclipses, with the next scheduled for Nov. 19, 2021.
For a full guide to understanding a lunar eclipse, click here.
Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses such as the one occurring tomorrow are safe to view without special eyewear.
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Melissa’s career in writing started more than 20 years ago. Today, she lives in South Florida with her husband and two boys.
