WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.314 --> 00:00:02.660 [upbeat music] 2 00:00:02.660 --> 00:00:04.650 What's Up for May? 3 00:00:04.650 --> 00:00:07.080 This month, a rocky planet roundup 4 00:00:07.080 --> 00:00:10.206 and a super blood moon eclipse. 5 00:00:10.206 --> 00:00:11.280 [comet whooshing] 6 00:00:11.280 --> 00:00:14.390 Beginning mid-May, if you can find a clear view 7 00:00:14.390 --> 00:00:16.940 toward the western horizon, you'll have an opportunity 8 00:00:16.940 --> 00:00:19.708 to see all four of the rocky inner planets 9 00:00:19.708 --> 00:00:21.991 of our solar system at the same time... 10 00:00:21.991 --> 00:00:23.388 ...with your own eyes. 11 00:00:23.388 --> 00:00:26.280 line:15% Starting around May 14th, cast your gaze to the west 12 00:00:26.280 --> 00:00:28.710 line:15% about half an hour after sunset local time 13 00:00:28.710 --> 00:00:32.400 line:15% to see if you can spot Mercury, Venus, and Mars, 14 00:00:32.400 --> 00:00:35.230 line:15% and well, Earth is kind of hard to miss. 15 00:00:35.230 --> 00:00:38.400 To see near the horizon, you need an unobstructed view 16 00:00:38.400 --> 00:00:40.850 free of nearby trees and buildings. 17 00:00:40.850 --> 00:00:42.440 Some of the best places for this 18 00:00:42.440 --> 00:00:45.680 are the shores of lakes or the beach, open plains 19 00:00:45.680 --> 00:00:48.410 or high up on a mountain or tall building. 20 00:00:48.410 --> 00:00:50.560 line:15% In addition to the planets, from around the 14th 21 00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:52.990 line:15% through the 17th, the crescent moon joins the party 22 00:00:52.990 --> 00:00:55.600 line:15% for a lovely planetary tableau. 23 00:00:55.600 --> 00:00:58.330 Now Venus will be really low in the sky. 24 00:00:58.330 --> 00:01:01.130 It'll be easier to observe on its own later in the summer 25 00:01:01.130 --> 00:01:03.490 but for now, take advantage of this opportunity 26 00:01:03.490 --> 00:01:06.877 to observe all of the inner planets in a single view. 27 00:01:06.877 --> 00:01:07.710 [comet whooshing] 28 00:01:07.710 --> 00:01:11.820 May 26th brings a total lunar eclipse. 29 00:01:11.820 --> 00:01:14.450 Over several hours, the moon will pass through 30 00:01:14.450 --> 00:01:16.610 Earth's shadow, causing it to darken 31 00:01:16.610 --> 00:01:19.250 and usually become reddish in color. 32 00:01:19.250 --> 00:01:20.970 The red color comes from sunlight 33 00:01:20.970 --> 00:01:22.780 filtering through Earth's atmosphere. 34 00:01:22.780 --> 00:01:25.270 A ring of light created by all the sunrises 35 00:01:25.270 --> 00:01:28.150 and sunsets happening around our planet at that time. 36 00:01:28.150 --> 00:01:30.540 Because of the reddish color, a lunar eclipse 37 00:01:30.540 --> 00:01:33.590 is often called a "blood moon." 38 00:01:33.590 --> 00:01:36.110 Just how red it will look is hard to predict, 39 00:01:36.110 --> 00:01:38.580 but dust in the atmosphere can have an effect. 40 00:01:38.580 --> 00:01:39.990 (And keep in mind there have been a couple 41 00:01:39.990 --> 00:01:42.960 of prominent volcanic eruptions recently.) 42 00:01:42.960 --> 00:01:45.530 Lunar eclipses take place when the moon is full 43 00:01:45.530 --> 00:01:47.300 and this full moon happens when the moon 44 00:01:47.300 --> 00:01:49.840 is also near the closest point to Earth in its orbit, 45 00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:52.200 often called a "supermoon." 46 00:01:52.200 --> 00:01:55.150 Unlike solar eclipses, which you should never look at, 47 00:01:55.150 --> 00:01:58.100 it's safe to view lunar eclipses with your eyes, 48 00:01:58.100 --> 00:02:00.660 and unlike solar eclipses, which tend to have 49 00:02:00.660 --> 00:02:03.160 a narrower viewing path, lunar eclipses 50 00:02:03.160 --> 00:02:05.150 are at least partly visible from anywhere 51 00:02:05.150 --> 00:02:06.850 on the planet's night side. 52 00:02:06.850 --> 00:02:08.760 Now eclipses happen at the same moment 53 00:02:08.760 --> 00:02:10.250 no matter where you are on Earth, 54 00:02:10.250 --> 00:02:12.610 but the time your clock reads during the eclipse 55 00:02:12.610 --> 00:02:14.920 depends, of course, on your time zone. 56 00:02:14.920 --> 00:02:18.060 The best viewing for this eclipse is in the Pacific Rim. 57 00:02:18.060 --> 00:02:20.120 That's the western parts of the Americas, 58 00:02:20.120 --> 00:02:23.310 Australia and New Zealand, and Eastern Asia. 59 00:02:23.310 --> 00:02:26.460 For the US, the best viewing will be in Hawaii, Alaska, 60 00:02:26.460 --> 00:02:28.280 and the western states. 61 00:02:28.280 --> 00:02:30.780 line:15% For the eastern US, the eclipse begins for you 62 00:02:30.780 --> 00:02:32.580 line:15% during dawn twilight. 63 00:02:32.580 --> 00:02:35.020 line:15% You may be able to observe the first part of the eclipse 64 00:02:35.020 --> 00:02:37.280 line:15% as the moon just starts to darken, but the moon 65 00:02:37.280 --> 00:02:39.890 line:15% will be near or on the horizon as Earth's shadow 66 00:02:39.890 --> 00:02:41.680 line:15% begins to cover it. 67 00:02:41.680 --> 00:02:43.630 The farther west you are, the more of the eclipse 68 00:02:43.630 --> 00:02:46.970 line:15% you'll be able to see before the moon sets that morning. 69 00:02:46.970 --> 00:02:48.610 Those in the western half of the country 70 00:02:48.610 --> 00:02:51.720 will be able to see almost the entire eclipse. 71 00:02:51.720 --> 00:02:53.660 So if you're in the path of this eclipse, 72 00:02:53.660 --> 00:02:56.570 check your local times for the best viewing near you, 73 00:02:56.570 --> 00:02:58.780 and if you're in the US, be prepared to get up early 74 00:02:58.780 --> 00:03:01.090 if you to see this rare celestial event: 75 00:03:01.090 --> 00:03:04.079 a super blood moon eclipse. 76 00:03:04.079 --> 00:03:05.180 [comet whooshing] 77 00:03:05.180 --> 00:03:07.403 Here are the phases of the moon for May. 78 00:03:09.360 --> 00:03:11.430 You can catch up on all of NASA's missions 79 00:03:11.430 --> 00:03:15.320 to explore the solar system and beyond at nasa.gov. 80 00:03:15.320 --> 00:03:17.930 line:15% I'm Preston Dyches from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 81 00:03:17.930 --> 00:03:19.730 line:15% and that's What's Up for this month.