Lunar Eclipse May 2021

A total lunar eclipse will be occurring in the morning of Wednesday, May 26, and most of it will be visible from Tucson.  If weather allows, you will see the Moon pass through Earth's shadow in the western sky before sunrise!

The penumbral phase of the eclipse begins at about 1:48 am.  This is where the Moon just begins to dim a little as it comes in contact with the faint outer portion of Earth's shadow.

Partial phase then begins at about 2:45 am.  A portion of the Moon is now starting to be fully cut off from sunlight and we can see a noticeable "bite" begin to grow on one side.

Total phase begins about 4:11 am.  Now the Moon is fully immersed in Earth's shadow and it will take on a faint reddish glow as the only light that reaches it is refracted through Earth's atmosphere, similar to the red sky we see every day before sunrise or after sunset.

As far as eclipses go, this total phase is pretty short, only lasting about 14.5 minutes. By around 4:26 am you'll see the Moon begin coming out of the shadow and going back to a partial phase.

For us in Tucson, the Moon will still be in partial phase when it sets at about 5:27 am.  Sunrise is at 5:20 am, so it is a rare chance to see a lunar eclipse during the day!

Below our horizon, the partial phase of the eclipse will end at 5:52 am and the penumbral phase will end at 6:50 am.

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May26_2021 Lunar eclipse info

Information c/o of Time & Date
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/tucson

Science Snacks – Space Bites – All About Lunar Eclipses

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Online Streams

Unable to get outside? You can livestream the eclipse from here!
Total Lunar Eclipse from Hawai'i
Time & Date