Next weekend, on the night of Sunday 15 May to Monday 16 May, we should see a full lunar eclipse in the sky. The moon will then pass through the Earth’s shadow, creating a stunning image.
This complete eclipse will occur in several stages. The first is the penumbral stage. At that point, almost all of the sun’s rays are blocked out, but there are still some rays that reach the moon. It starts at 3:32 a.m. Monday, but includes a subtle dimming effect that can easily go unnoticed.
Then we get to the second stage. You see the shadow of the Earth passing over the surface of the moon. This starts at 04:28 and continues gradually. The complete eclipse begins at 5:29 a.m. When this eclipse is complete, it will be like the rotation of the moon copper. That’s because Earth’s atmosphere directs some sunlight toward it. The beginning of the end, when you see the shadow slipping away from the moon again, begins at 6:53 AM. The end of the eclipse will occur at 08:51. But the end of this eclipse will not be visible in the Netherlands. By then the moon will be below the horizon. Therefore, it’s certainly not a bad idea to look for a place where you have an unobstructed view of the southwest horizon.
The biggest advantage of a lunar eclipse – compared to a solar eclipse – is that you can look at it with the naked eye and you don’t need special glasses. If you wish, you can use binoculars to get a better view, but in principle this is not necessary.
If you do not have time to get up on Monday, you will have to wait until next year. The next full lunar eclipse will occur on November 8, 2022, but it probably won’t be seen here. On the other hand, October 25, 2022 could be very interesting. Then you can also see a partial lunar eclipse here. Otherwise, she will have to wait until next year.