First Lunar Eclipse of 2022 - everything you need to know

Astronomers and skywatchers eagerly await the visual treat of the total lunar eclipse on May 16 2022. The upcoming lunar eclipse will be the first one in the year 2022 and will last for around 85 minutes in total, which makes it the longest total lunar eclipse since 2018.

Phases of the lunar eclipse on May 16

The penumbral phase will start at 01:33 GMT. It is not possible to view this phase with naked eyes and hence only well-equipped astronomers will find this phase interesting.

The partial eclipse will start at 02:28 GMT. Around this time, you can actually start viewing the eclipse’s progress with bare eyes. During this phase, the moon passes through the umbral shadow of the earth that blocks sunlight. As a result, a portion of the lunar disc appears darkened.

The full phase of the eclipse begins at 03:30 GMT and will reach its extreme point at 04:11 GMT, when the moon will be fully covered by the umbral shadow of the earth. The full eclipse will end at 04:54 GMT when the dark umbral shadow will leave the lunar disk.

At 05:55 GMT, the partial phase of the eclipse will end and beyond this point, you can’t watch the eclipse with naked eyes. At 06:51 GMT, the penumbral phase will end.

From where the eclipse will be visible

On May 16 2022, the lunar eclipse will be visible from regions including America, Europe and Africa.

A full moon is up in the sky only during the night. It is possible to see the total lunar eclipse from all parts of the earth that experiences night during the eclipse time. However, the visibility of the eclipse differs from region to region.

From some locations, the eclipse is seen during the moonrise or moonset with the moon positioned low in the sky. It is safe to view lunar eclipses with naked eyes. However, telescopes and binoculars can significantly enhance the view of eclipses.

The eclipse season

The total lunar eclipse happens two weeks after a partial solar eclipse that happened on April 30, 2022. These two eclipses happen during a single eclipse season. The length of an eclipse season is usually around 35 days when it is very common to see around 2 or 3 eclipses happen.

The next eclipse season

In October-November, there will be another eclipse season and during this period, a partial solar eclipse on October 25 2022, and a total lunar eclipse on November 7-8 2022.

Astrological significance of the May 16, lunar eclipse

This total lunar eclipse will not be visible from India as India wi9ll have its daytime around the time of the eclipse. Therefore, there is no sutak period advised for the people residing in India.