Monday 16th to Sunday 22nd May 2022
The early morning of Monday 16th sees a total lunar eclipse. The Full Moon will enter the Earth's outer shadow at 2.32am. Totality begins at 4.29am. Between those times, the Moon will be located towards the south west.
You will only be able to observe the totality for about half an hour because it will be getting light at 5am and this will destroy the effect.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth lies directly between the Sun and the Moon and the Moon lies in the shadow of the Earth. For a total lunar eclipse, all three bodies have to lie in a straight line so that the Moon passes through the darkest part of the Earth's shadow, technically known as the "Umbra".
During a total lunar eclipse the Moon turns a deep red because it is being illuminated by sunlight that has passed through the Earth's atmosphere and the light is then bent back towards the Moon by refraction.
If all that sounds a bit confusing, I have provided a diagram explaining it, courtesy of Wikipedia.
There are a few good evening opportunities to spot the International Space Station next week. Monday 16th at 11.06pm, Tuesday 17th at 11.55pm, Wednesday 18th at 11.07pm and slightly earlier on Thursday 19th at 10.19pm. The ISS will appear in the west and spend the best part of 7 minutes passing almost directly overhead, before disappearing towards the east.
Screenshots courtesy of Stellarium
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