A supermoon is a beautiful, chance-on event where a seemingly enlarged and radiant moon graces the sky. The great thing about supermoons is that it’s not uncommon for 3 or even 4 to occur in the same year. For example, 2024 has a lineup of 4 supermoons. The first was the rare Super Blue Moon, or Sturgeon Moon, which occurred on August 19th. The second supermoon of the year is between September 17th and 18th. What sets this supermoon apart from others is the fact that it is also a partial lunar eclipse. Additionally, this moon can also be quantified as a Harvest Moon, making it a trifecta of celestial events that stargazers have been waiting for.

That being said, what is a Harvest Moon? Simply put, the Harvest Moon is the closest full moon to the autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. What it essentially does is light up the evening sky with intense moonlight, something that has traditionally helped farmers continue to harvest their summer-grown crops for a longer period of time. Harvest Moons are also a beautiful sight to behold, due to their orange and red hues.

When talking about the partial lunar eclipse aspect of the celestial event, it is first important to understand what it means. While a lunar eclipse represents the passage of the Earth between the Sun and the Moon, with the Earth casting a shadow on the lunar surface, a partial lunar eclipse refers to a similar event, except that the three celestial bodies are not completely aligned. As a result, only a portion of the Moon passes through the Earth’s shadow, leading to this phenomenon being identified as a partial lunar eclipse.

According to NASA, the time frame for this celestial event is 10:35 PM EDT on September 17, which is 2:35 PM GMT on September 18. In IST terms, this works out to 8:05 AM. While this is the time when the full moon reaches its peak, the eclipse will peak at 10:44 PM EDT, which works out to 2:44 PM GMT and 8:14 AM IST.

Coming back to the general phenomenon of supermoons, there are 2 more scheduled for 2024. The dates for these are October 17 and November 15. The supermoon on September 18 was not visible to people in India, but can still be streamed on NASA’s official website and a number of astronomy channels on YouTube.