Unlike a full eclipse, the so-called penumbral eclipse will not make the moon look as though it is missing a chunk, said Mike Usher, past president of the Everglades Astronomical Society.
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And on the same night we will also be treated to February’s snow moon and maybe even catch a peak of the New Year comet.
Instead, this is a penumbral eclipse, where the earth passes between the moon and sun, blocking out sunlight and casting a shadow on the surface of the moon. The moon won’t be blacked out as in a full eclipse.
The best time to view the event will be mid-eclipse at 12.45am, though the eclipse will begin at 10.34pm on Friday and end at 2.53am on Saturday morning. Its closest approach will be on Saturday, when it will pass 7.4 million miles from Earth, according to Space.com. A few hours later, the bright green comet 45P will shoot past the Earth.
The comet is something you won’t want to miss because the next time you’ll able to grab a glimpse of is in another five years, 2022.
“What you’re seeing when you see them in the sky is the gas vapor that the sun’s heat has caused them to give off this vapor”, said Kerrigan.
If you only look to the sky once in a blue moon, tomorrow night is the night to do so. “So just as the Moon is being plunged into the Earth’s shadow on Friday, the Earth will be plunged into the Moon’s shadow later this month”. Yes, you’ve seen it before – eclipses are dictated by the Saros cycle, where 6,585.3 days slip in between eclipses, according to retired NASA eclipse expert, Fred Espenak. On display will be the next full moon and lunar eclipse. It will look like a green fireball. Since it’s just a partial eclipse, the moon will only appear to be darker one side. CNN has noted that this will only be a partial eclipse, so it will not be as remarkable as the blood moon eclipses.
All is not done at this point, though, as Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova will prepare to make its closest approach to Earth after all this takes place.
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Friday’s moon can also be called an eclipsed moon. It’ll be in the constellation Hercules but don’t confuse comets with “falling stars” or meteors.
