May 2021 Supermoon Eclipse Happens This Week: How To Watch It

This month will end with a special treat for those who love staring up at the cosmos: a supermoon eclipse. On May 26, NASA explains, the moon will not only look unusually large due to being at its nearest approach to Earth, it'll also turn a lovely shade of red. Even better, because this a lunar eclipse, you won't need any special glasses to watch it.

The most exciting part of the celestial event — the total eclipse phase — will happen around moonset, NASA explains. You'll be able to see the early stages of the event at 1:46PM PDT on May 26; this is when the moon will enter the darkest region of our planet's shadow. The totality phase, which is when the entire Moon is covered by the shadow, will take place between 4:11AM and 4:26AM PT.

The eclipse will take place during a supermoon event, which refers to the moon's unusually large appearance. This is because the moon will be at its nearest approach to Earth, resulting in what NASA says will be the largest full moon we'll see in 2021. This particular full moon was called the Flower Moon by Native American tribes.

Many people around the world will be able to watch this event with the naked eye. Those located in the Pacific Islands, New Zealand, and the eastern regions of Australia will be able to witness the entire eclipse event. Meanwhile, the total eclipse phase will be visible to anyone in the western part of Peru, the western US and Canada, as well as the entire nation of Mexico, the majority of Ecuador, and the majority of Central America.

All you'll need to watch the event is your eyes — head outside at around the time the eclipse is scheduled to start and look at the moon. You'll need to plan a long night if you want to watch the entire event, however, depending on your time zone. This will be the last lunar eclipse visible to people in North America until next May.