Dr. Patricia Reiff | reiff@rice.edu
(713) 348-4634
Rice Space Institute, MS-108
Rice University
6100 Main Street
Houston, TX 77005-1892
The Total Lunar Eclipse May 26 will be a SELENELION for the central USA. For the east coast, the Moon will set before totality; for the west coast, the Moon will set after totality is over. For the central US, the red eclipsed moon will set just as the Sun rises. See the diagram for why the eclipsed moon is red for the same reason that the sun is red at sunrise - the blue light is scattered by the earth’s atmosphere, only leaving the red light to paint the moon. This eclipse will have a very short totality (14 minutes) and will be very near the edge of the umbra, so one side of the eclipsed moon will be much brighter than the other, since the light won’t have to refract as much in the atmosphere.
CREDIT: www.greatamericaneclipse.com
The north edge of the eclipsed Moon will be brighter which will be on the right side at moonset.
The times of totality are the same for everyone, once you put it into your time zone. For Central Time Zone, the partial eclipse starts at 04:45, with totality starting 6:11 and ending 6:25 am just at moonset. The end of the partial phase will be at 7:52, which will be visible in the western US.