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Tonight’s lunar eclipse will also include supermoon
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Tonight’s lunar eclipse will also include supermoon

It will be a treat for stargazers, as Tuesday night’s full moon will be a supermoon, blood moon and harvest moon all rolled into one.

The rare coincidence of cosmic events brings with it a bonus: a partial lunar eclipse.

About 8% of the moon will be obscured by Earth’s shadow when the eclipse peaks at 9:44 p.m. Central Time, NASA said. Weather permitting, the display, which will see Earth blocking sunlight and sometimes turning the surface a striking red, will be visible from North and South America and parts of Europe and Africa, the space agency said.

And yes, it is safe to view with the naked eye, unlike solar eclipses, which are not, according to Astronomy Magazine. If you miss it, you’ll have to wait until March 14, 2025, when a total lunar eclipse will be visible from the Americas, Western Europe and West Africa, according to NASA.

Here’s what else will be visible in the sky on Tuesday night:

Full moon: This occurs when the side of the Moon facing Earth is completely illuminated by the Sun.

Supermoon: This occurs when the moon’s orbit is closest to Earth at the same time that the moon is full. On Tuesday, the moon is expected to be about 220,000 miles from Earth, much closer than 250,000 miles when it is farthest away. The moon’s orbit is somewhat oval, so its distance from Earth fluctuates. The moon appears larger when it is closer to Earth.

Harvest Moon: A full moon that appears closest to the start of fall. Fall begins on Sunday at 7:43 a.m. The name comes from the days before electricity, when farmers relied on the moon’s light to harvest their crops late into the night, according to NASA.