This month’s supermoon comes with bonus total lunar eclipse

There's more than just a full moon to watch for during the night of this month’s full moon on May 26.

Not only is this month’s full moon a Supermoon, but it’s also the biggest supermoon of 2021, as it will be closer to the Earth than any other full moon this year.

Adding to this month’s supermoon, there’s a total eclipse of the moon that residents of Kamloops and the Okanagan should be able to see in the early morning hours of May 26.

According to Earthsky.org, the last total eclipse of a year’s closest full moon took place on Sept. 28, 2015.

This month’s eclipse is expected to take about three hours to pass through the Earth’s shadow, but the ‘total' portion of the eclipse will zip by in just under 15 minutes, beginning at 4:11 a.m. and ending around 4:25 a.m.

The full duration of the eclipse will begin at 1:47 a.m.

This month’s full moon is known as the super blood moon, due to the eclipse. During the event, the Earth blocks sunlight from reaching the moon, allowing only the light from the Earth’s atmosphere to reach the moon’s surface during the eclipse. This results in a red or ruddy-brown coloured moon, according to space.com

This will be the year’s only total lunar eclipse and the first lunar eclipse of any kind since January 21, 2019.

Environment Canada says the long range forecast for Wednesday morning, May 26, should see a mix of sun and cloud in Kamloops and cloudy skies in the Okanagan.

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