Total lunar eclipses and perigee moons happen relatively frequently. The April 4 eclipse lasted less than 5 minutes, but this weekend’s Supermoon eclipse will last some 72 minutes, reaching totality at 10:47 p.m.
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When a full or new moon makes its closest approach to Earth, that’s a supermoon. Scientists explained that the moon doesn’t physically grow in size. At this distance, the moon will appear about 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than an apogee moon, making for an especially vivid night show.
According to NASA there have been five Supermoon events since 1900 (in 1910, 1928, 1946, 1964 and 1982) and the sixth will occur on Sunday. Petro said that the next simultaneous aligning of the two won’t be repeated until 2033.
It’s also no cause for concern, despite the ancient Incans and Mesopotamians believing the moon to be under attack during a lunar eclipse.
Some people also will refer to Sunday’s event as the “super moon” because the moon will be at its closest point to the Earth. As the process occurs, the Moon will often turn a deep shade of orange, or even red, due to the bending of sunlight passing through Earth’s atmosphere on its way to the Moon.
The moon’s orbit is not a ideal circle, so it’s sometimes closer to Earth, Petro said. It just appears slightly bigger in the sky. It’s not dramatic, but it does look larger. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the full moon passes through the darkest park of the Earth’s shadow.
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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.
