“Blood Supermoon” Largest Full Moon of 2021

  • The Moon had the nearest approach to Earth on May 26, and therefore appeared to be the closest and largest Full Moon or “supermoon” of 2021. 
  • This was be a superlunar event, as it was a:  1) Supermoon 2) Lunar eclipse and 3) Red or Blood moon, all at once.
  • A supermoon and a total lunar eclipse have not occurred together in nearly six years. 

TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE

  • A total lunar eclipse takes place when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon and its shadow covers the Moon.
  • Total lunar eclipses happen only when: 

  1. It is Full Moon. 
  2. At the same time, the Moon is at (or very near) a lunar node, so the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth are aligned in a straight (or nearly straight) line.

  • The duration of a lunar eclipse is longer than a solar eclipse. 

SUPERMOON

  • NASA notes that a supermoon occurs when the Moon’s orbit is closest to the Earth at the same time that the Moon is full. 
  • As the Moon orbits the Earth, there is a point of time when the distance between the two is the least (called the perigee when the average distance is about 360,000 km from the Earth). 
  • There is also a point of time when the distance is the most (called the apogee when the distance is about 405,000 km from the Earth).
  • When a full Moon appears at the point when the distance between the Earth and the Moon is the least, not only does it appear to be brighter but it is also larger than a regular full moon. 
  • According to NASA, the term supermoon was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979. 
  • In a typical year, there may be two to four full supermoons and two to four new supermoons in a row.

BLOOD SUPERMOON

  • At the time of the eclipse, the earth comes between the sun and the moon. 
  • Due to this, the sunlight does not reach the moon and the moon appears dark. 
  • However, it does not disappear completely. 
  • The effect of the sunlight on the earth's atmosphere makes the moon appear in a different colour.
  • The total lunar eclipses are sometimes called Blood Moons because of the reddish shades the Full Moon takes on when fully eclipsed. 
  • The Full Moon will be closest to the Earth on 26 May, so it may look larger in the sky, making it a Blood Super Moon eclipse. 
  • It can also range from orange or red to brown.



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