It’s about to get lune-y with celestial celebration tonight, as a supermoon and a partial lunar eclipse take over the sky Sept. 17.
The full moon, known as the 'Corn' or 'Harvest' moon, will reach its peak at 10:30 p.m. tonight, which will also the second of four consecutive ‘supermoons,’ a term coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 to describe when the moon is within 90 per cent of its closest approach to Earth, making it appear slightly larger than usual.
That ‘slightly larger’ might help, because the supermoon also coincides with a partial lunar eclipse, which will lead to a gradual dimming of the moon.
Unlike a total lunar eclipse, where the entire moon takes on a deep red ‘blood’ color, this partial eclipse will produce a more subtle effect, say reports. The moon will appear less bright overall, with only a small portion of its top edge darker than the rest.
The eclipse will begin at 8:41 p.m. as the moon starts to enter Earth’s penumbra, however, the effect won't be noticeable until around 10 p.m. when the full shadow starts to cover the top edge of the moon.
And unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are totally safe to view without any eye protection.
The eclipse will reach its maximum at 10:44 p.m ET, with around 3.5 per cent of the moon’s upper edge obscured by Earth’s umbra. The rest of the moon will appear slightly dimmed with a subtle brownish-red hue as it moves through the penumbral shadow.
The eclipse will start to wind down by 11:15 p.m., as the full shadow moves away, with the partial shadow continuing to faintly darken the moon until 12:47 a.m on Wednesday morning.
