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The first lunar eclipse of 2022 is set for Sunday evening and should be highly visible here in the Rio Grande Valley, clouds permitting.
The astronomical event Sunday will be a total lunar eclipse, which occurs when the earth comes between the sun and the moon, casting the moon into the deep umbral shadow of earth.
This lunar eclipse will be visible in total phase from portions of the Americas, Antarctica, Europe, Africa and the east Pacific.
Lunar eclipses are pretty common compared to the solar eclipse when the moon comes between the earth and sun.
“It kind of is. You probably noticed by now,” said Victor de los Santos, executive director of the South Texas Astronomical Society. “We will see at least two of those per year, that’s pretty common. I think last year we saw two and the year before as well. Solar eclipses are definitely more rare.”
The first shadow on the face of the moon will occur around the time the sun sets on Sunday, de los Santos said.
“If I remember the time frame correctly it starts around 8 p.m. when the moon slowly starts to creep into the earth’s shadow,” he said. “And about 10:30 our time — I think the exact time is 10:28 — is when the total lunar eclipse starts when it’s fully in the earth’s shadow.”
This will be the first of two lunar eclipses in 2022, with the next one occurring on Nov. 8. That lunar eclipse also should be visible, clouds permitting, here in South Texas.
There are three kinds of lunar eclipse: penumbral (when the moon drifts into the lighter shadow of the earth), partial (when the moon goes into the umbra, or deeper shadow of the earth, but only part way) and total.
A partial solar eclipse will occur Oct. 25, but won’t be visible from North America. But two weeks later, we will be able to watch the year’s second total lunar eclipse.
