MOON ECLIPSE. On the night of Sunday May 15 to Monday May 16, 2022, a total lunar eclipse will be observable from metropolitan France. At what time and how to observe it?
[Mis à jour le 11 mai 2022 à 19h44] This year 2022, place at two eclipses of Moon total, to the delight of astronomy enthusiasts! HAS start with that of the night of next Monday May 16, visible from Europe (including the France), North America and Africa. The next total lunar eclipse will occur on November 8, 2022, but it will only be visible from Asia, Oceania, and the Americas.
In metropolitan France, it will be observable in the early morning of Monday May 16 but will set while the eclipse will still be total. Time and observation advice, but also meaning, we tell you all about the phenomenon below:
The next lunar eclipse on May 16, 2022 will enter Earth’s penumbra at 3:32 a.m. Paris time (1:32 a.m. UTC). The peak of the total eclipse will occur at 6:11 am Paris time. This is when the Moon will turn red, a phenomenon “relatively” simple to understand: as the Moon enters the shadow of the Earth during the lunar eclipse, it takes for a certain period from time to time a red tint. At this moment, the rays of the sun which have the longest wavelength (red), always reach the Moon. They are the ones who give it this coppery tint. The phenomenon is similar to that of sunsets, during which the sky also takes on a reddish tint. The lunar eclipse will emerge from twilight at 8:50 a.m. Paris time.
If the sky is clear, there is no problem observing a lunar eclipse with the naked eye, without any danger (unlike a solar eclipse) and without special equipment. We advise you to place yourself in the direction of the clear horizon. As with the Super Moon, in case you find yourself in an area where clouds obscure its visibility, you can arm yourself with your telescopeof yours binoculars or a pair of astronomical glasses to better observe the lunar eclipse.
For those who wish to immortalize the phenomenon, you can also bring a standard 50 mm lens as well as longer focal length lenses (between 200 mm and 2,700 mm on a full frame sensor). The important thing is to be able to have a tripod to avoid camera shake. The use of a telephoto lens is obviously ideal so that the moon fits entirely into the frame, but for photographers with a short focal length, you can make an eclipse trail (successive superimpositions of the different phases of the eclipse on the same photograph). Given the low light during the lunar eclipse, set your camera to medium to high sensitivity depending on the phase of the eclipse, as well as a large aperture.
The last lunar eclipse occurred on Friday November 19, 2021, the longest partial lunar eclipse since on February 18, 1440, with a total duration of 6 hours and 2 minutes. The American continent, northeast Asia, Polynesia, eastern Australia and part of Europe were able to observe this partial eclipse. However, its observation in France was not possible. Discover the most beautiful photos of the last lunar eclipseas well as the previous ones:
The next total lunar eclipse visible in France will occur on May 16, 2022. As for the stars, you absolutely must not miss the Perseids this summer and their rain of shooting stars during the now famous night of stars.
It is important to point out that the astronomical phenomenon of the lunar eclipse is only possible when the Moon is full. A lunar eclipse can only occur when the Moon is atopposite of the Sun with respect to the Earth and that it is therefore in phase of full moon.
The partial lunar eclipse is a phenomenon that occurs when the Earth moves between the Moon and the Sun without these three stars being completely aligned.
This phenomenon only occurs during total eclipses. As the Moon advances into the shadow of the Earth, the Moon takes on a red hue, which is called a Blood Moon phenomenon. “The longer wavelength rays (red) continue to reach the Moon and give it a coppery hue. It is this same phenomenon that gives sunsets their color”, explains France 3 Region. The red color of the Moon varies with atmospheric conditions, ranging from orange to bright red.