In the night sky in May, there will be a rare phenomenon: a “blood moon” and a supermoon on the same day

On May 26, a “blood moon” and a super moon will be observed in the night sky. This has not happened for more than six years, according to the press service of NASA.

The “Blood Moon” is a phenomenon that occurs during a total lunar eclipse. It occurs when the Moon fully enters the cone of the shadow from the Earth, it takes on a rusty or blood red color. The color is so striking that the phenomenon is called the “bloody moon”, scientists write.

The last time a total lunar eclipse was almost 2.5 years ago, NASA notes. Schematically, a total lunar eclipse looks like this:

It will happen on May 26 at 01:46 PST (11:46 Kiev time). The moon will enter the darkest part of the Earth’s shadow at 02:45 (12:45 Kyiv time) and will partially remain in the shadow until 05:53 (15:53).

The eclipse can be observed in the western United States and Canada, throughout Mexico, in most of Central America and Ecuador, in western Peru, in southern Chile and Argentina. The complete eclipse can be seen in eastern Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, including Hawaii.

Also on May 26, the largest supermoon of the year will be observed, NASA notes. This phenomenon occurs when the full moon coincides with the Moon being within 90% of the perigee, the point of its closest approach to the Earth. In this position, the satellite appears brighter and larger than usual.

The full supermoon will be visible on May 26 from 06:13 North American Central Summer Time (16:13 Kiev). This supermoon is also called flower moon: as the Indians in North America knew it, because it appeared at a time when plants were blooming.