The word ‘blood’ refers to the reddish hue the Moon will take on from our perspective during the eclipse, because of the way the Sun’s light waves interact with our atmosphere before reaching the Moon. Blood:Īs mentioned above, we’re to witness a total lunar eclipse - a phenomenon that takes place when the Earth, the Sun and the Moon align in a way that leaves the whole of the Moon in the darkest part of the Earth’s shadow, known as the umbra. Talking of flowers, here’s why people are giving yellow flowers in Mexico and Latin America on March 21.
Blossoms of brilliant color burst forth in both tree and meadow.” Traditionally used by Native Americans to keep track of the seasons, the Moon names for each month are: May’s Moon is known as ‘Flower’ because, as the Old Farmers’ Almanac explains, “In most areas of the northern hemisphere, flowers are abundant in late spring. ‘Flower Moon’ is among the Native American names that the Maine Farmers’ Almanac began publishing for each month’s Moon in the 1930s. Why does the Moon’s distance vary? Because its orbit of the Earth is oval-shaped rather than circular, causing it to move closer and further away from our planet as it travels around it.
#Super flower blood moon full
According to NASA, a full Supermoon appears about 14% bigger and 30% brighter than a full Moon at its apogee, or furthest point from the Earth. Coined by the astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979, the term refers to a new or full Moon that comes to within 90% of perigree, the satellite’s closest position relative to the Earth. May’s full Moon, which Time and Date says will be at its fullest at 12:14am ET on Monday 16 May, will qualify as a ‘Supermoon’.
For the long answer, let’s take it word by word. April might have served up a ‘ Black Moon’, but in true hold-my-beer fashion, May is about to treat sky gazers in the US - and many other countries - to the flamboyantly-named phenomenon that is the ‘Super Flower Blood Moon’.Īs one AS colleague put it: WTF is that? Well, the short answer is this: in lunar terms, ‘super’ + ‘flower’ + ‘blood’ = a total eclipse of the Moon in the month of May, at a time when the full Moon is at, or near to, its closest point to the Earth.
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