Mark your calendars: There are a few celestial happenings occurring this weekend including a May full moon (which is known as the Flower moon), and a supermoon because it will be at its closest point to Earth (perigee) making it seem a bit larger than normal. It’s also a blood moon because of the red tint the moon will have during the eclipse. So, one could say this is a Super Flower Blood Moon total lunar eclipse.
RELATED: How to get a close look at Sunday night’s total lunar eclipse
The total lunar eclipse will occur the night of Sunday, May 15 into the early hours of Monday, May 16. This lunar eclipse should be visible across all of Colorado if the weather cooperates. Our forecast of hot and dry weather with a lack of cloud cover looks to continue through the weekend meaning we all should have nice weather conditions for viewing.
The total lunar eclipse occurring Sunday night should be met with clear conditions over much of Colorado. Lately, we’ve been hoping for cloud cover and moisture, but the fact that we’ll have clear skies for this event is a good thing since it’s a fun phenomenon to see. There may be some cloud-cover increasing late in the evening for some, but there should be plenty of breaks between any clouds to see at least some of the eclipse.
Here’s the timing on when to expect the eclipse to start and when it will end in and around Denver.
You’ll begin to see the earth’s shadow cross the moon right before 8:30 pm on Sunday evening. The moon will be crossing the horizon just before 8:00 pm in the east-southeastern sky and rising through the event so it will be low against the horizon to start. The moon will be completely encompassed by the earth’s shadow starting at 9:29 pm and it will stay covered until 10:53 pm. The moon should be at its deepest red color at 10:11 pm at night. This eclipse from beginning to end will last for several hours.
This will be a great event to watch with your family and friends since some of this eclipse is happening earlier in the night. The best thing about a lunar eclipse: You won’t have to wear eye protection to see it, so you can walk out and view it with the naked eye. Binoculars will help you see some details of the moon but viewing it as it is, will be good enough for most.
Of course, if you can get to an area with less light pollution, you’ll be able to see many more stars and more details of the moon and the color it will hold.
Although there is a lot of light pollution along the I-25 corridor, most folks should be able to see the eclipse regardless of their location. Areas of the eastern Plains and many mountain locations will have the best viewing potential.
Again, this will be a long-lasting event and just about everyone in Colorado should be able to see this thanks to a lack of cloud cover. Enjoy the show! The next total lunar eclipse will happen on Nov. 8.
