See a Super Unique Partially Eclipsed Harvest Supermoon Tonight
Nathaniel Morgan4 weeks ago1 Mins read 
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During most months, a supermoon is exciting enough, but this week, the lunar awe is going up a level. On the evening of Sept. 17, stargazers can watch a partial eclipse of the month’s Harvest supermoon — an eye-popping conjunction of two equally dazzling spectacles that will turn the oversized moon a reddish huge.
Read on for how to catch the lunar eclipse of September’s Harvest moon, including where to look and when.
What is a lunar eclipse and a supermoon?
Before we dive into the lunar-viewing logistics, let’s run through Tuesday’s night-sky happenings. Tuesday evening will see the second full supermoon of the year, a phenomenon when the full moon appears bigger and brighter than usual thanks to its close proximity to earth. The moon will reach its fullest when it’s halfway up the sky at 10:35 p.m. EDT, according to NASA; that said, our eyes perceive it at its largest when it’s close to the horizon — a trick dubbed the “moon illusion.”
This month’s supermoon, known as the full harvest moon, also coincides with a partial lunar eclipse, when Earth’s shadow hides a portion of our neighboring space rock. Lunar eclipses only occur during full moons, when earth is directly between the sun and moon, per NASA.
What will a partial lunar eclipse of the Harvest Supermoon look like?
Unlike April’s total solar spectacular, this month’s lunar spectacle is only a partial eclipse. It will look like a small bite of the moon is missing — roughly its top 8 percent. Even though it’s a small eclipse, it’s still worth watching. According to Space.com, the lunar eclipse will help sky-watchers find craters and other moon-surface features via telescopes and binoculars. Plus, the eclipse will give the supermoon an eerie, red-tinged appearance.
When to see the partially eclipsed Harvest Supermoon?
According to NASA, the eclipse will begin at 10:13 p.m. EDT on Sept. 17, and will reach its peak at 10:44 p.m. The moon will then exit Earth’s full shadow at 11:16 p.m. Those in Europe and Africa can catch the show in the early morning hours of Wednesday, Sept. 18.
The spectacle will occur above the southeast horizon. Saturn, at a magnitude 0.6, will be visible to the naked eye just to the right of the partially eclipsed moon.
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