Blood Moon Total Lunar Eclipse 2022: When To See It In Washington

SEATTLE — It may prove difficult for Puget Sound to catch a glimpse of a total lunar eclipse Sunday, thanks to a stubborn run of gloomy spring weather across the region.

If the weather cooperates, at least a portion of the eclipse will easily be viewable across the Pacific Northwest. That's looking to be a rather big "if," as Washington's marathon of cool and wet weather is forecast to stretch through the weekend and beyond. Though showers and mostly cloudy skies are expected Sunday evening, there is always a chance for a brief break in the clouds to grant a glimpse of the show.

According to AccuWeather, Sunday's total "blood moon" eclipse will be visible across the United States, with places like Washington catching the show after moonrise, while it's situated low on the horizon. The totality of the eclipse will last about 85 minutes, and the moon will loom large in the night sky.

"The chances of seeing the eclipse are much higher across the central and western U.S. with partly to mainly clear conditions in the forecast on Sunday night," AccuWeather writes. "A similar outlook is predicted for the Canadian Prairies. Meanwhile, clouds could spoil the show across the Pacific Northwest and into British Columbia, including Portland, Oregon, and Seattle metro areas as well as Vancouver, British Columbia."

Thanks to the supermoon, those living along or visiting the coast can also expect higher "king tides" in the days following the eclipse.

Around Seattle, the moon will still be below the horizon when the penumbral, partial and full eclipse begins. Should the clouds part, it will be visible as the moon reaches its maximum eclipse. Altogether, the show should last for approximately three hours.

Here is the Seattle timeline for the May 15, 2022, total lunar eclipse, courtesy of Time and Date:

Below the horizon:

• Penumbral eclipse begins: 6:32 p.m.
• Partial eclipse begins: 7:27 p.m.
• Full eclipse begins: 8:29 p.m.

Visible in Seattle:

• Maximum eclipse begins: 9:11 p.m.
• Full eclipse ends: 9:53 p.m.
• Partial eclipse ends: 10:55 p.m.
• Penumbral eclipse ends: 11:50 p.m.

Lunar eclipses only happen during a full moon, when the moon is opposite the sun in its orbit of Earth. On a full moon, the sun fully illuminates the face of the moon. During an eclipse, the entire moon enters the darkest part of Earth’s shadow.

In a penumbral eclipse, the moon passes through the outer part of Earth’s shadow, only slightly dimming the surface of the moon. In a partial eclipse, the moon enters Earth’s darkest shadow, the umbra, causing some of the moon to darken significantly.

• Related: Image Of Supermassive Black Hole In Our Milky Way Galaxy Released

“Blood moon” is a descriptive rather than technical astronomical term, though The Old Farmer’s Almanac says the phrase is “hyped” and that a fully eclipsed moon is orange, or copper-colored like a penny, but not blood red. The moon’s color at totality can also vary depending upon the amount of dust, volcanic ash or other particulate matter in the atmosphere, and because of cloud cover, according to Space.com.

Weather permitting, the lunar eclipse is worth staying up late to watch, even if it isn’t a supermoon.

"Supermoon" isn’t an astronomical term either, but rather one coined by astrologer Richard Nolle, who calls a full or new moon a supermoon when it is at 90 percent of its closest point, or perigee, to Earth. Under Nolle’s definition, four full moons meet supermoon criteria: a new or “stealth” moon on Jan. 14, full moons on June 14 and July 13, and a new moon on Dec. 23.

However, Fred Espenak, a retired NASA astrophysicist who worked at the Goddard Space Flight Center, uses slightly different criteria. He says the May flower moon is the first of four supermoons in 2022. He also counts the June 14 and July 13 full moons as supermoons. Unlike Nolle, Espenak says the Aug. 12 full moon will be a supermoon (bad news for Perseids meteor shower fans, because the supermoon and the peak of the summertime favorite coincide).

• Related: 2022 Guide To Meteor Showers, Lunar Eclipses, Supermoons

Either way, a supermoon isn’t bigger, and it doesn’t even look that much bigger in the sky when compared to a normal full moon. While it can look larger when it’s close to the horizon, that’s due to “the circuitry in your brain,” according to Universe Today which explained “it’s an optical illusion … so well known that it has its own name: Moon illusion.”

Although most often called the full flower moon, the May full moon is also known as the corn planting moon and the milk moon in the United States. In Asia, it is known as the Vesak Festival Moon because it corresponds with Buddha Jayanti or Buddha Purnima, a Buddhist holiday that marks the birth, enlightenment and death of Gautama Buddha.

The actual date of the Vesak festival depends on the calendar used in different countries and regions, but generally falls on or near the day of the May full moon.

If you miss the eclipse this month, the second 2022 total lunar eclipse on Nov. 8 will be visible across the Americas, Oceania and Asia.