It is a cosmic trinity.
Stargazers will get to see three or four moons on Tuesday. This month's Harvest Moon will coincide with a supermoon, a blood moon and a partial lunar eclipse.
Although the Harvest Moon occurs each year in September near the autumnal equinox and supermoons happen three to four times a year, it's “fairly rare” to see all three events in the same night, said Teresa Monsuy, an astronomer at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. told NPR.
All about lunar eclipse, supermoon and blood moon
Supermoons occur when “the full moon coincides with the moon’s closest approach to Earth in its elliptical orbit, a point known as perigee,” According to NASATomorrow night's event will be special because the Moon will be partially in shadow due to a lunar eclipse, which occurs when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon. Fox Weather reported.
According to NASA, the eclipse will peak two hours later at 10:44 p.m., when only eight percent of the moon will be in shadow.
“Except for the small dark portion at the top of the moon's disk, most of the visible lunar disk will be in Earth's penumbra, the lighter part of the planet's shadow that doesn't completely block the sun's light,” Monsuy explained.
This cosmic overlap would give the lunar entity an eerie rust-like hue, known as a “blood moon.”
Alas, partial overlap would be far from it Total solar eclipse last spring When the Moon completely covered the Sun, leaving a large part of America in complete darkness.
How and where should I watch it?
One positive aspect is that, unlike a solar eclipse, moon lovers can view the space rock without protective glasses because its light is no brighter than normal moonlight, Monsuy said.
He urged stargazers to use binoculars or telescopes to see the differences between craters and other features on the moon's surface.
This astronomical triple eclipse will be visible from both North and South America (Europe and Africa will be able to see the eclipse), but it will be difficult to see due to cloud cover across much of the US, especially the East Coast, Plains and Pacific Northwest.
When will this happen again?
According to Monsu, those who miss Tuesday night's eclipse and supermoon double-billing won't be able to see another eclipse until Oct. 8, 2033.
Luckily, stargazers will also be able to catch the return of the supermoon on October 17, as well as a total lunar eclipse on March 14, 2025 — when the moon will move completely into Earth's shadow.
