"Super Blood Flower Moon"
Total Lunar Eclipse May 15-16, 2022
Free Viewing session at the RPSEC from 10:25 PM - 12:30 AM
The DuPont Planetarium at the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center on the campus of the University of South Carolina Aiken will be hosting a FREE lunar eclipse viewing on May 15, 2022. We will begin setting up for the event at about 10:00 PM and will stay at least through the early stages of the maximum eclipse at about 12:30 AM.
Why has it been named the "Super Blood Flower Moon?"
- Super: A "Super" moon is the name given when a full moon occurs near the time when the Moon is at its closest distance from Earth. The Moon orbits the Earth about once per month. The orbit is not a circle but an ellipse. Therefore, there is a point when the moon is closest to the Earth (perigee) and a point when it is furthest from the Earth (apogee). Perigee is at 11:24 AM EDT on 5/17/22. That is less than 37 hours after the maximum eclipse, so this qualifies as a "Super Full Moon."
- Blood: A blood moon is a term often used to describe a lunar eclipse. During a lunar eclipse, the moon turns a reddish color. Some ancient peoples thought that the reddish color gave the moon a "bloody" appearance. The color is caused by sunlight passing through and bouncing off the Earth's atmosphere. The atmosphere scatters the shorter wavelengths and only the longer reddish wavelengths pass through. These wavelengths "bounce" off the atmosphere and some of them reach the surface of the Moon. We see the red light reflecting back to Earth showing the "blood" moon.
- Flower: There is usually one full moon during each month of the year. The full moon for each month has been given a name, and May's full moon is known as the "Flower Moon." Here are the names of the full moons. January - Wolf Moon, February - Snow Moon, March - Worm Moon, April - Pink Moon, May - Flower Moon, June - Strawberry Moon, July - Buck Moon, August - Sturgeon Moon, September or October - Harvest Moon, September - Full Corn Moon, October - Hunter's Moon, November - Beaver Moon, December - Cold Moon.
You may watch the "Super Blood Flower Moon" from anywhere that you have a view of the Moon. We will have telescopes available for you if you are interested in visiting us at the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center.
| Partial Eclipse begins | May 15 at 10:27 pm |
| Full Eclipse begins | May 15 at 11:29 pm |
| Maximum Eclipse | May 16 at 12:11 am |
| Full Eclipse ends | May 16 at 12:53 am |
| Partial Eclipse ends | May 16 at 1:55 am |
Links to "Super Blood Flower Moon" information
Photos from the event
