Of course, you’ll need a clear enough sky to see the moon to catch the eclipse, so keep an eye on your weather forecast.
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There will be a total of three supermoons before the year’s end, but the one coming up this weekend, which will include a lunar eclipse, is sure to be the best yet.
A total lunar eclipse occurs at full moon when the entire moon passes through Earth’s umbral or inner shadow. An eclipsed moon takes a deep red color, hence the term “blood moon”.
The moon’s orbit is not a ideal circle, so it’s sometimes closer to Earth, Petro said. This makes the moon appear nearly 14% larger and 30% brighter in the sky than an apogee full moon.
People interested in seeing the event can simply step outside Sunday evening to see the lunar phenomenon.
The eclipse will start at 7:11 p.m.as the sun and moon are exactly opposite each other and the Earth shadows the moon, Astronomy chair Andrew Fraknoi said.
We’re looking for your images of the supermoon lunar eclipse.
Sunday’s spectacle will be visible to stargazers in North America, South America, the Atlantic Ocean, Greenland, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, according to Popular Science.
The lunar combination is happening for the first time in 30 years. This type of eclipse has not happened in 33 years, and will not happen again for another 18. When it is closest it is known as perigee.
“There’s no physical difference in the moon”, NASA scientist Noah Petro said in a statement.
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The eclipse will reach totality at 10:11 pm. Instead of the moon appearing in total darkness, sunlight is scattered through the edges of the Earth’s atmosphere. It’ll be completely shaded for about an hour starting around 10 pm (the last total eclipse, on April 4, lasted for a mere five minutes).
