May 26, the Moon will be the largest and brightest in 2021

On May 26, the main supermoon of the year will occur: the Moon will look 14% larger and 30% brighter than usual. Supermoon is called a position when the full moon is near the closest point of its orbit to the Earth - perigee. This week the center of the Moon will be located at a distance of 357 462 km from the center of the Earth. This is about 48,000 km closer than the furthest full moon of the year, which will occur in December.

On the same day, the first total lunar eclipse falls since January 2019 and the only total lunar eclipse this year. This event occurs only on the full moon, it requires the Earth to be directly between the Sun and the Moon. When the Moon is completely in the shadow of the Earth and she completely blocks out sunlight, our natural satellite takes on a supernatural appearance, becoming crimson red. The total lunar eclipse will happen on May 26 from 12.45 to 15.53 Moscow time, according to the Moscow Planetarium. At 14.19 Moscow time, the Moon will plunge into the northern part of the earth's shadow, the total phase of the lunar eclipse will last 14.5 minutes.

Not all inhabitants of the Earth will be able to observe the eclipse. The "red" phase will be visible only from the west coast of America, the east coast of Asia and the Pacific territories in between. Among those who will be able to see him live, and the inhabitants of the Russian Far East. Everyone else has the opportunity to observe a total eclipse of the moon over the Internet. The live broadcast will take place on the Time & Date website, the broadcast starts at 13.00 Moscow time.