We already warned that the astronomical events of May brought with them a total lunar eclipse that, logically, we should not miss. And the day has come. It will be during the night of Sunday May 15 to Monday May 16. The satellite will not disappear completely, but will be dyed red, so we will witness what is known as a Blood Moon.
Like any other lunar eclipse, it will occur because the Earth, in its journey around the Sun, will come between it and the Moon. As for the reddish tone, it is due to the fact that, despite the fact that our satellite is immersed in the Earth's shadow, some sunlight reaches it, filtered by the Earth's atmosphere. This filtering removes most wavelengths and only lets the red one through.
In Mexico you won't have to set the alarm clock to enjoy this lunar eclipse, because the satellite will completely enter the shadow of the Earth at 22:30. It will remain visible until 23:54, when it will begin to come out of the shadow and everything will gradually return to normal. In Spain, however, the lunar eclipse will be seen in its entirety around 5:30 in the morning, peninsular time. Of course, there will be small variations between provinces, so it is important to take into account where we intend to see it from.
The time of the lunar eclipse in Spain
Broadly speaking, the partial eclipse will begin in Spain at 04:28 and will end at 07:55 . However, it will become total between 05:29 and 06:54, when the satellite will be dyed red and completely immersed in the Earth's shadow. All with one hour less in the Canary Islands, logically.
The problem is that at some points the entire process of entering and exiting the shadow will not be visible, because the Moon will end up hiding before everything is over. As explained by the National Geographic Institute (IGN), “in the peninsula, Ceuta and Melilla we will not see completely how the Moon leaves the shadow of the Earth, but in the Canary Islands they will have the lucky to see that phase completely”.
In Spain the total lunar eclipse will be between 05:29 and 06:54, peninsular time
In addition, in the northeast of the peninsula and the Balearic Islands, the Moon will set before the total eclipse ends. Therefore, only the beginning of the total phase will be seen, but not the end. To know exactly which show will correspond to us in each province, we can visit the IGN astronomy page. There we will find a map and we can click on a province to see its schedule.
As for how to see it, nothing special is needed. The lunar eclipse, both in its partial phase and in its total phase, will be seen without any problem with the naked eye. Logically, it will be seen in more detail with binoculars or a telescope, but they are not essential. And protection is not needed either, since, unlike solar eclipses, Lunar eclipses do not entail any risk to the eyes.
You just have to go outside, if possible away from light pollution, look at the sky and enjoy. In Mexico it will be simple, in Spain it will cost us a good morning (or going to bed very late), but surely the show is worth it.
