Lunar eclipse: World sights 2022's first super flower ‘blood moon’

The moon turned red during an eye-popping spectacle unlike any other in the night sky in 2022, visible from North and South America, Europe, Africa, and a few parts of Asia.

The event takes place during the Flower Moon, the May full moon, and it is also a supermoon tonight. These two milestones together make this the Super Flower Blood Moon of May 2022.

The nature's beautiful scenario, however, will not be visible from Pakistan according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

The entire eclipse will be over five hours long, starting at 9:32 p.m. EDT on Sunday, May 15, and lasting until 2:50 a.m. EDT on Monday, May 16.

The total eclipse of the moon has started already.

Folks may have to stay awake later than usual for a chance to see night's eclipse as it unfolds throughout the first half of the night.

The total phase of the eclipse, when the moon changes color, will last only about an hour and a half, starting at 11:29 p.m. EDT and ending at 12:53 a.m. EDT.

People in most of Canada, Central America, South America, western Europe and western Africa will also be able to see the lunar eclipse.

No special equipment is needed to witness the eclipse, but cloud-free conditions are a necessity.

This is the first total lunar eclipse visible from the entire contiguous since January 21, 2019. There was a total lunar eclipse visible from the country on May 26, 2021, but it could be seen from only the western U.S., Alaska and Hawaii.  

There was also an impressive partial lunar eclipse over the Americas on November 19, 2021, when 97% of the moon went dark, but ultimately fell just short of being considered a total eclipse.

A total lunar eclipse is sometimes called a "Blood Moon" because the moon often appears to turn dark red at the height of the eclipse.

The eerie shift in color is not due to a transformation of the moon during the astronomical alignment, but rather a change in the light reflecting off the moon.