Around GMA

Article Inside Page

A unique celestial event will happen tonight, May 26, called the Super Flower Blood Moon. It's a combination of two events: supermoon and total lunar eclipse.

A supermoon occurs when the moon is positioned closest to Earth while a total lunar eclipse happens when the moon moves into the Earth's shadow.

Tonight's eclipse will also be the only total lunar eclipse to happen in 2021.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the eclipse will happen between 4:47 p.m. Philippine Standard Time (PhST) and 9:49 p.m. (PhST).

The best time to view the eclipse is at 7:18 p.m. (PhST), which is called the “greatest eclipse” or its best position.

Source: PAGASA

This is also called the “blood moon” stage, according to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) because of the moon's color. The moon will take on a red-orange hue.

“A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes completely through the Earth's dark shadow or umbra. During this type of eclipse, the Moon will gradually get darker, taking on a rusty or blood-red color. The color is so striking that lunar eclipses are sometimes called Blood Moons,” NASA explains on its website.

It also got its name from Native Americans and is associated with the Spring season.

“This Full Moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Flower Moon because this was the time of year when spring flowers appeared in abundance,” NASA says.

The last total lunar eclipse occurred on January 21, 2019, and the next one will happen on May 16, 2022.

For more stories like this, head to GMA's Lifestyle page.