close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

What to Know About Tuesday’s Lunar Eclipse and Harvest Supermoon: NPR
news

What to Know About Tuesday’s Lunar Eclipse and Harvest Supermoon: NPR

A blood moon can be seen during a lunar eclipse on November 8, 2022 over Brisbane, Australia.

A blood moon can be seen during a lunar eclipse on November 8, 2022 over Brisbane, Australia.

Dan Peled/Getty Images


hide caption

switch caption

Dan Peled/Getty Images

Stargazers can enjoy another celestial spectacle on Tuesday evening, as three cosmic events take place simultaneously during the full moon.

After space enthusiasts saw a blue supermoon last month, September’s Harvest Moon will coincide not only with a supermoon, but also a blood moon and a partial lunar eclipse.

Although harvest moons occur every year just before the start of fall and supermoons occur three to four times a year, all three events happening at the same time are “pretty rare,” astrophysicist Teresa Monsue of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center told NPR.

The moon is considered “super” when it is full and its orbit is at its closest point to Earth, according to NASA. When Earth is between a full moon and the sun, and the moon passes through Earth’s shadow, a lunar eclipse occurs.

How to See the Harvest Supermoon and Lunar Eclipse

The best times to view the event depend on your location, but the lunar eclipse will peak at 10:44 p.m. ET, according to NASA. All of North and South America will have a chance to see the partial lunar eclipse and harvest a supermoon, depending on the weather. Europe and Africa will also have a chance to see the eclipse.

According to Monsue, the lunar eclipse will be partial, with only the upper part of the moon falling into the darkest part of the Earth’s shadow, called the umbra.

“Apart from the small dark area at the top of the lunar disk, most of the visible lunar disk will be in Earth’s penumbra, the lighter part of the planet’s shadow that doesn’t completely block sunlight,” she also said, adding that this will give most of the moon a reddish-brown appearance known as a “blood moon.”

And unlike a solar eclipse, where you need to wear special glasses to protect your eyes, stargazers can view Tuesday’s lunar eclipse easily and without eye protection.

“It is safe to look directly at the moon during a lunar eclipse because the reflected light is no brighter than moonlight,” Monsue said.

The eclipse also offers a good chance to see contrasting craters and other features on the lunar surface if you use a telescope or binoculars, she said.

When can I see the next lunar eclipse and supermoon?

If you miss Tuesday night’s solar eclipse and supermoon, the next one unfortunately won’t occur until October 8, 2033, Monsue says.

But on October 17, you can still see a full supermoon and on March 14, 2025, a total lunar eclipse.

There will also be an annular solar eclipse, or “ring of fire” eclipse, when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, but is at or near its farthest point from our planet, on Oct. 2. But the only potential viewers in the U.S. who will get a chance to see it will be in Hawaii.