The Next Total Lunar Eclipse

Yesterday I wrote a bit about the next total solar eclipse. Today I write about the next lunar eclipse. Solar and lunar eclipses are similar in that they involve one object in the Solar System casting a shadow on another object. During a solar eclipse, the Moon casts a shadow on Earth. During a lunar eclipse, Earth casts a shadow on the Moon. The rate of frequency of solar and lunar eclipses is about the same, but it is much easier to see a total lunar eclipse because Earth casts a much bigger shadow. This means that instead of having to be at a specific location to view a solar eclipse, you can be pretty much anywhere on one half of Earth to view a total lunar eclipse.

Jakub Fryš / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

I've seen several total lunar eclipses in my lifetime and there's a good chance you have too. The last total lunar eclipse was on Jan 21, 2019, viewable from much of the United States. It was a very cold evening out, so we were in the house, staring almost straight up out the the window. We caught the first part of totality just before the Moon cross overhead and went out of view from the window. We managed to avoid going outside. :-)

There have been several partial eclipses since. There are only partial eclipses in 2020. The next total lunar eclipse is May 26, 2021, although most of us in the U.S. will not see this eclipse. If you are on the west coast, you might catch a glimpse of this eclipse. For better viewing, you need to be in Australia, Hawaii, or one of the islands in the Pacific Ocean. Or a boat! :-)

The next total lunar eclipse viewable from the mainland United States is May 16, 2022. Although the frequency of lunar and solar eclipses is about the same, many more people can view a total lunar eclipse without traveling, due to the much larger shadow cast onto Earth.