Eclipse Season — April-May 2022

YAY! It’s eclipse season, the first of two in 2022!

Every year we get a collection of 4 to 7 eclipses somewhere on Earth, either lunar, solar, partial, or total. These eclipses come in seasons, a 35-day period with typically two eclipses sometimes three. There are usually two seasons per year.

April 30, 2022 — Partial Solar Eclipse

The Sun is still super bright, too bright to look at meaning that there is not a safe time to look at the eclipse without safe solar viewing glasses, solar filters, or other safe viewing methods.

The animation below shows the eclipse over the globe from the vantage point of the moon.

An animation of the April 30, 2022, partial solar eclipse from the moon’s vantage point. The lightly shaded circle with the black outline is the penumbral shadow. The partial eclipse is visible inside the penumbra. Animation by Fred Espenak and Michael Zeiler.

Learn more about the April 30, 2022 — Partial Solar Eclipse »

May 15-16, 2022 — Total Lunar Eclipse

The second eclipse of the first season is a total lunar eclipse on May 15-16, 2021.

A map showing where the May 15-16, 2022 lunar eclipse is visible. Contours mark the edge of the visibility region at eclipse contact times. The map is centered on 63°52’W, the sublunar longitude at mid-eclipse. credit: NASA SVS

Learn more about the May 15-16, 2022 Eclipse

Stay tuned for more sun fun!

The second eclipse season for 2022 is October-November with a partial solar eclipse on October 25 and a total lunar eclipse on November 7-8. More to come.