PORTLAND — A lunar eclipse this month will be a little more special than usual, occurring as the moon makes one of its closest approaches to the Earth all year.
The supermoon total lunar eclipse will take place in the early morning hours of May 26, and most of the event will be visible from the Pacific Northwest, according to astronomers.
A total lunar eclipse takes place when the Earth lines up directly between the sun and the moon, with the Earth’s shadow completely covering the moon. During a lunar eclipse the moon turns a vivid shade of red — an effect of refracted sunlight — before darkening completely.
This year’s total lunar eclipse will officially begin at 1:47 a.m. on May 26 in Portland, according to Time and Date, with the partial eclipse starting at 2:45 a.m. and the total eclipse beginning at 4:11 a.m. Totality is expected to last about 14 minutes before the shadow begins to gradually fade.
The tail end of the eclipse will not be visible from Portland, as the moon is forecast to set at 5:38 a.m. that morning, just after sunrise at 5:29 a.m.
Those watching the event may notice the moon appear to be slightly larger than normal. In fact, this will be the closest a full moon will get to the Earth all year, coming within 222,023 miles of our planet. A full moon that close is often called a “supermoon,” as it looks a little bigger and brighter than normal.
Stargazers hoping to watch the supermoon total lunar eclipse this month will need to first check the forecast to make sure it will be visible at all, as cloudy skies would block it from view. If visible, you’ll want to find a place with a good, unobstructed view of the sky and look for the moon over the south to southwest horizon.
There’s no need to use binoculars or a telescope to see the eclipse, but it could be a fun way to watch the moon up close as the Earth’s shadow falls across it.
The eclipse will be visible across most of the western U.S., though viewing will be the best for Hawaii, the South Pacific and Australia, according to NASA.
