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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On Sunday, May 15, a total eclipse of the moon will be seen across the night skies for the first time in years.

On the night of May 15, the moon will enter the Earth’s shadow, creating a total lunar eclipse, the first since May 2021. When the moon moves into the Earth’s shadow, it turns a copper red color. Lunar eclipses are sometimes called “Blood Moons” because of this phenomenon.

For Kansas City, Missouri, total eclipse will begin at 10:39 p.m. Sunday with maximum eclipse at 11:11 p.m. and total eclipse ending at 11:53 p.m.

You don’t need any special equipment to observe a lunar eclipse, although binoculars or a telescope are recommended.

According to NASA, the same phenomenon that makes our sky blue and our sunsets red causes the Moon to turn red during a lunar eclipse. It’s called Rayleigh scattering.

During a lunar eclipse, the Moon turns red because the only sunlight reaching the Moon passes through Earth’s atmosphere.