There’s going to be a party in the night sky on Tuesday. It’s a night when three cosmic events—a partial lunar eclipse, a Supermoon, and a Harvest Moon—will occur at the same time.
Alas, cosmic parties can be hectic, especially when people start throwing around terms like “Supermoon” and “Harvest Moon.” Here’s all you need to know about Tuesday’s festivities, including what to look out for in the night sky and when to watch.
A “celestial trifecta.” Aptly dubbed a “celestial trifecta” by NPR, Tuesday will feature a partial lunar eclipse, a Supermoon, and a Harvest Moon. Of the three, all eyes are likely to be on the lunar eclipse since it will only be visible for a few hours.
As explained by NASA, eclipses occur when the Earth, Moon, and Sun line up just right, which creates a cosmic shadow known as an eclipse. During a lunar eclipse, the Earth’s shadow blocks the Moon. Meanwhile, during a solar eclipse, the Moon blocks off the Sun.
A partial lunar eclipse occurs when there’s an imperfect alignment of the Sun, Earth, and Moon. In this case, the Moon only passes through a part of Earth’s umbra, or shadow. As such, the shadow will grow but won’t cover the entirety of the Moon. It’ll then recede.
The Super Harvest Moon. The lunar eclipse won’t be the only star of the night, though. It’ll be accompanied by a Supermoon and a Harvest Moon.
Put simply, Supermoons refer to moments when a full Moon is at its closest point to Earth, which makes the Moon appear bigger. This point of proximity is known as the perigee. During the Moon’s 27-day orbit around Earth, it reaches a perigee and apogee (the farthest point from Earth), though the exact distance varies.
The Harvest Moon, on the other hand, refers to the full, bright Moon that occurs nearest to the fall equinox, the official start of astronomical autumn. It got its name because farmers tended to take advantage of the light it offered, allowing them to harvest their crops late at night.
“Unlike other full Moons, this full Moon rises at nearly the same time—around sunset—for several evenings in a row, giving farmers several extra evenings of moonlight and allowing them to finish their harvests before the frosts of fall arrive,” The Old Farmer’s Almanac notes.
Given that this year’s Supermoon and Harvest Moon are taking place at the same time, some are referring to the event as the Super Harvest Moon.
A fisherman during the Super blue blood moon with a partial lunar eclipse.
When to watch the partial lunar eclipse from the U.S. The partial lunar eclipse featuring the Super Harvest Moon will begin on Tuesday evening and last about four hours, according to NASA, during which it will take a reddish-brown appearance.
Below are the key times:
- 8:41 PM ET: The Moon will start entering Earth’s partial shadow. NASA points out that it’ll be hard to notice any difference in the Moon right away.
- 10:13 PM ET: At this time, the top edge of the Moon starts entering Earth’s shadow. Here’s when you should start noticing something. Only the top 8% of the Moon will be in full shadow.
- 10:44 PM ET: This is the peak of the eclipse, the space agency says. Only the top 8% of the Moon will be in full shadow.
- 11:16 PM ET: The Moon exits the full shadow.
- 12:47 AM ET: The Moon exits the partial shadow.
While viewing times will vary depending on location and the weather, the partial lunar eclipse will be visible for North and South America, as well as Europe and Africa. Notably, protective glasses aren’t required during lunar eclipses.
Save the date. As mentioned earlier, this celestial trifecta is rare. If you miss the show, the next time all three of these events will happen at once will be in 2033.
Image | H. Raab | Diana Robinson
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