Moon lovers have a reason to celebrate this week.
Tuesday’s full moon coincides with a partial lunar eclipse, giving people in North America, South America, Africa and Europe a chance to see part of the moon’s surface obscured by Earth’s shadow.
A partial lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes between the Moon and the Sun, creating an alignment that blocks sunlight from reaching the Moon’s surface.
Tuesday’s event will focus on September’s full moon, which NASA says is also known as the Harvest Moon because it is often associated with harvest time in the Northern Hemisphere.
It will also be a supermoon, as the moon will be at its closest point to Earth in its elliptical, 27-day orbit. If the full moon happens to occur at the same time that it is closest to Earth, it will appear slightly larger and brighter than the average full moon, which is why it is called a “supermoon.”
The partial lunar eclipse will begin Tuesday night at 8:41 p.m. ET, when the moon begins to enter part of Earth’s shadow. Even in good weather and clear conditions, the dimming effect will likely be difficult to see until the top of the moon is obscured around 10:13 p.m. ET, according to NASA.
The eclipse will reach its peak at 10:44 p.m. ET, when about 8% of the moon’s surface will be in shadow. This will occur about 10 minutes after the moon becomes full at 10:35 p.m. ET.
After the eclipse’s peak, the moon will begin to exit Earth’s shadow. The eclipse will end early Wednesday around 12:47 a.m. Eastern Time.
Unlike a solar eclipse, there is no need to wear protective goggles when observing a lunar eclipse and the lunar eclipse can be safely viewed with the naked eye.
