Supermoon May 2021: Moon to turn 'blood red' this week but will it be visible in Portsmouth? Here's what you need to know

It is the latest chance for skygazers to spot a supermoon this year.

Following the Pink Super Moon which was visible in April.

The Flower Super Moon named as such by early Native American tribes because this is the time of the year when spring flowers were in abundance, will take place on Wednesday (May 26).

It will be the largest supermoon of the year and even more exciting than that the moon will appear red.

The reason for this is because it is a total lunar eclipse, the first in two and a half years, and this occurs when the moon passes through the Earth’s shadow.

During the eclipse, the moon will take on a rusty/ blood-red colour.

However the total lunar eclipse will only be visible from the west coasts of America, east coasts of Asia and in the Pacific.

Sadly it will not be visible for Portsmouth – however you will still be able to see the supermoon, but it will not appear red in colour.

According to Patricia Skelton, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the best time to see the supermoon in the UK will be in the early hours of the morning on May 26, or later in the evening on the same day – after sunset.

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She told the PA News agency: ‘A supermoon happens when a full moon occurs at the same time, or close to the time, that the moon reaches its closest point to the Earth – a point called perigee.

‘Perigee occurs at 2.51am on May 26, with full moon occurring at 12.14pm on the same day.

‘The supermoon will rise in the east around half an hour after sunset and will be visible throughout the night.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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