According to NASA, a supermoon eclipse hasn’t happened since 1982 and another one won’t happen again until 2033.
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This Sunday night, Earth will have a Supermoon Eclipse, its first in 33 years!
According to NASA, a supermoon will combine with a lunar eclipse on September 27. Scientifically this is known as a “lunar tetrad”. Sunlight can only reach the moon indirectly during a total lunar eclipse, NASA says, and nearly all colors except red are filtered out. It’ll also be mostly or entirely visible to much of Western Europe, Northwest Africa, and all of South America, though not always at such a comfortably early local hour.
That’s because this lunar eclipse coincides with another astronomical event: a supermoon. Lunar eclipses typically occur at least twice a year, and 228 will occur in the 21st century alone.
Skywatchers in Northern California are in for a treat Sunday evening: a lovely eclipse of the Harvest Moon.
See the forecast for your region to learn whether your location will be able to view the eclipse. It only means the moon looks a bit bigger than its usual size, since it’s a bit closer to the Earth than otherwise.
When the moon is farthest away from the Earth, it is known as apogee. He defined it as “a new or a full Moon that occurs when the Moon is at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth in its orbit”.
“That’s rare because it’s something an entire generation may not have seen”, said Petro.
Many stargazers, professional and amateur alike, dislike the term supermoon, noting that the visible difference between a moon and supermoon is slight to all but the most faithful observers. The Moon looks larger when it is on or near the horizon since your eyes have objects in the foreground to compare it to.
It only happens once every 30 years or so – the last one was in 1982. We hear 2033 is another great time for the world to end. Oh, and the angle of light from the sun will be just in time to cause an eclipse.
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Here is something interesting to contemplate as you watch the eclipse.
