UAE: 'Flower' supermoon tonight, how to watch it

Dubai - The first lunar eclipse of the year is special as the moon is going to be closest to the Earth's surface

Mark your calendars for the next big lunar event that will happen on Wednesday, May 26 when the UAE skies will be adorned with a supermoon that is perhaps the largest-looking one of the year.

This supermoon is the closest full moon of the year and may look unusually large to people in some countries, while people in other parts of the world will see a ‘blood moon’ due to the reddish hue from the sunlight filtering through the Earth's atmosphere.

May’s full moon is also known as the Flower Moon, named for the wildflowers blooming in the Northern Hemisphere. It is one of only two supermoons in 2021, which take place when the moon is at or near its closest point to Earth.

Sarath Raj, Programme Leader for Aerospace Engineering, Project Director of the Amity Dubai Satellite Ground Station, said, “The first lunar eclipse of this year is very special as the moon is going to be very close to the Earth’s surface, nearly 357,500 km away from the surface. The flower moon would be 14 per cent larger in size and about 30 per cent brighter. The moon will be at its peak brightness at 3:14 pm GST. It will last for 15 minutes but stargazers in the Arab World can’t witness this remarkable event as the moon is below the horizon at this time.”

Only the US, Australia, South America and eastern Asia will experience the total lunar eclipse.

He adds, “The penumbral eclipse would begin at 12:47 pm local time and it will end at 17:49 pm local time. We can witness the eclipse through online streaming links. Space enthusiasts can tune into live-streaming apps and websites like the virtual telescope, Perth observatory, starry nights, Sonora astronomical society, slooh pages and more, to witness the super flower moon.”

On May 26, over several hours, the Moon will pass through Earth’s shadow, causing it to darken and usually become reddish.

The red colour comes from sunlight filtering through Earth’s atmosphere – a ring of light created by all the sunrises and sunsets happening around our planet at that time.

Hasan Al Hariri -CEO, Dubai Astronomy Group and Director Al Thuraya Astronomy Center, says, “It will not be visible from all regions. So, the Moon will be eclipsed by the shadow of the Earth and it will be completely dark and it will seem to have a reddish hue. Unfortunately, this event will not be visible in the Middle East and this region due to the Saros cycle which takes approximately 18 years to come back to the same location.