Skygazers are in for a treat tonight as tonight’s full moon is a Harvest moon, Supermoon, and lunar eclipse in one.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth, and moon align, causing the Earth’s shadow to block out some or all of the moon’s light.
Tonight’s event is set to be a partial eclipse, meaning the Earth’s shadow won’t cover the whole of the illuminated surface of the moon, but will appear to block a chunk of it.
Bruce Betts, the chief scientist at the Planetary Society, told the New York Times: “You’ll see the shadow of the Earth start to eat into the moon, like taking a small, dark bite out of the moon.”
The supermoon will light up the sky tonight. Credit: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images
Betts added that while the partial eclipse will be visible, it will only blot out around 3.5 percent of the moon’s surface, adding: “It’s still worth seeing, but if it’s cloudy, you don’t have to be too sad.”
The lunar eclipse is set to take place between 8:41PM Eastern time on Tuesday and 12:47AM on Wednesday, with the maximum partial phase occurring at 10:44PM.
The spectacle will be visible across most of the United States, Canada, Latin America, Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe.
While you don’t need to take special precautions to protect the eye as you would with a solar eclipse, experts suggest using a telescope or binoculars to be able to see the finer details of the moon, however, it will also be visible to the naked eye.
Of course, your best chance of seeing the partial eclipse will also come in darker locations with less light pollution ruining the show.
The partial lunar eclipse will see the Earth’s shadow pass over the moon. Credit: Matt Blyth/Getty Images
The partial lunar eclipse will also coincide with the second of four supermoons in as many months.
A supermoon occurs when the full moon is at its closest point in its orbit to Earth, making it appear bigger than usual.
The ideal time to see the supermoon is in the early evening, when it appears on the horizon, where it will appear at its largest.
After this supermoon, the next one will occur on October 17, with the year’s final one taking place on November 15.
The current supermoon is also a Harvest moon, which relates to the time of year.
The Harvest moon relates to the time of year it takes place, Credit: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images
The Harvest moon usually occurs in September and is the full moon closest to the Autumn equinox.
It’s name is thought to derive from the fact that the moon tends to be bright at this time of year and rises soon after sunset, giving farmers more light to gather their harvests into the night.
So make sure you look up tonight – you won’t want to miss it.
