What is a Lunar Eclipse and how many Lunar Eclipses will be there in 2022?

Earth is heading toward its second eclipse of the year 2022 as the Moon is set to undergo obscurity later this month. Countries in the western hemisphere will witness a total lunar eclipse on May 16 as the Earth would come between the moon and the sun. According to TimeandDate, the celestial event will be visible only from these locations in the western hemisphere- South and West Asia, Africa, parts of the Indian ocean, entire South America, much of North America and a few islands in the Pacific and Atlantic ocean. Notably, this lunar eclipse will not be visible in India. 

What is a lunar eclipse? 

A lunar eclipse is caused when the Earth comes between the sun and the moon and blocks the sunlight falling on the moon. There are basically two kinds of lunar eclipses-- partial lunar eclipse and total solar eclipse. In a partial solar eclipse, only part of Earth's shadow covers the Moon making the latter easily visible. A total solar eclipse, on the other hand, is caused when the Earth and the sun are exactly on the opposite sides and our planet completely blocks the sunlight from reaching the moon.

According to NASA, the moon appears red in some cases of an eclipse because the only remaining sunlight reaching the moon at that point is from around the edges of the Earth. This is exactly what would happen in mid-May and viewers in the aforementioned areas would witness what is called a 'blood moon'. 

According to NASA, the eclipse on the said date would last for a total of three hours and 27 minutes wherein the moon will undergo one hour and 25 minutes of totality. Totality is a phase when the moon is completely obscured by the Earth's shadow. 

How many lunar eclipses in 2022?

There would be a total of four eclipses in 2022, two of which are solar and two are lunar eclipses. The forthcoming eclipse would be the first lunar eclipse and second overall event after the total solar eclipse on April 30. The second lunar eclipse, which will occur on November 7 and 8, will again be a partial one except it would be visible from India. There would also be a second solar eclipse on October 25, which would be a partial one and unlike the first one will be visible in India.