The blood orange moon is going to be extra special this year, according to NASA. It's the second of two supermoons after the pink supermoon back in April.
Today, we'll bear witness to one of the brightest and boldest blood orange full moons in years. It's also known as the 'super flower blood moon.'
Here's everything you need to know about sighting it.
What is a super blood moon?
The blood moon owes its name to the colour the moon goes during an eclipse, which is when the sun, earth and moon all align.
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On Wednesday 26th May 2021, it'll be the first time a blood moon has coincided with a total eclipse in over two years - which is what makes it extra special, according to NASA. That's because the eclipse will take place as the moon reaches its closest point to Earth (lunar perigee), making the blood moon bigger and brighter than usual. That's why it's called a super flower blood moon.
While the earth's shadow covers the moon during the eclipse, it'll go a spooky dark orange/red colour for around 14 minutes, according to timeanddate.com.
This year's eclipse is also special because it kicks off an "almost tetrad" which means four total eclipses in two years. It's almost a tetrad because three out of the four eclipses in the next two years will be full eclipses, while one is very nearly a total eclipse, but not quite according to experts.
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Anybody else having flashbacks of that chocolate orange advert with the teacher saying "full moon, half moon, total eclipse!"?
How to see the May 2021 blood moon in the UK
Unfortunately, we can't experience the full visual effects of the total lunar eclipse in the UK and it'll mainly be seen from the US, eastern Americas and parts of East Asia.
However, UK stargazers can still see a fantastic blood orange moon despite not experiencing the full eclipse.
The blood moon is said to be at its most visible in the UK at 12:15 am on 26th May. Time and Date will be live-streaming the extraordinary lunar event on Youtube on, so you don't even need to be by a window to witness it. And to be honest, you're likely to see it clearer on the livestream, especially if the weather forecast isn't in your favour at the time of the event.
Weather forecast for blood moon
According to the MET office, the weather will be showery but it will gradually dry out and warm up, which hopefully means clear skies too.
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The MET office said that Tuesday night will see "Showers drying out for most though a few persisting for central England and East Anglia with more rain arriving for east Scotland and northeast England. Chilly in places."
Fingers crossed!
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Nasa