Total lunar eclipse and first supermoon of 2022 visible in SA – Here’s how to see it

This year’s full Flower Moon – the name attributed to a full moon in May – will coincide with a total lunar eclipse and a supermoon.

The eclipse will be visible to sky gazers in South America, Africa and parts of Europe as it peaks during the early morning hours on Monday, 16 May.

Full moon, May 2022

Total lunar eclipse

Fret not, unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are safe to view with the naked eye. Binoculars and telescopes will enhance the experience but aren’t required.

Early morning viewers will have approximately 90 minutes to gaze at the penumbral eclipse as it enters the first phase at 3:32am South African Standard Time (SAST).

Penumbral refers to the Sun, Earth, and Moon’s alignment, which results in the Earth blocking some of the Sun’s light from directly reaching the Moon’s surface.

If you’re not an early bird, you’ve come to the right place. NASA will be live-streaming the event so we can watch it at our leisure.

Watch: NASA’s lunar eclipse live stream

The outer part of the shadow cast on the Moon is known as the penumbra.

The Full Moon in May 2022 will reach its partial phase at 4:28am. Totality – the moment when the Moon is completely engulfed in Earth’s shadow – begins at 5:29 and ends at 6:53.

Supermoon

But wait, there’s more. Tonight’s full Flower Moon is also a supermoon. This happens when a full moon coincides with a perigee – the point in the Moon’s orbit at which it is nearest to Earth.

Tonight’s supermoon will therefore appear unusually large even though it’s currently 366,008 kilometres from Earth. The Moon will also shine brighter.

This is due to the angular diameter – it’s about 7% greater than that of an average-sized moon, and 14% greater than the diameter of a micromoon, also known as an apogee.

Why Flower Moon?

As per The Old Farmer’s Almanac, full moon names have its origin in Native American, Colonial American, and European sources.

In the northern hemisphere, flowers bloom in May – especially wild garlic, anemone, indigo, bluebells, sundrops and lupine.

Other names for this month’s full moon include Budding Moon, Egg Laying Moon, and Planting Moon

The Anglo-Saxon name is Milk Moon – from the Old English word Þrimilcemōnaþ (Rimilcemona). In modern English, it translates to “three-milkings-month.”

In Celtic and Old English tradition, tonight’s full moon is also known as Mothers’ Moon, Bright Moon, Hare Moon, and Grass Moon.