SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC NEWS) — Make sure to look up tonight to catch a rare moon – a supermoon with a partial solar eclipse.
The partial lunar eclipse will be visible in North America (excluding Alaska), South America, Africa, Europe, Greenland, and most of the Middle East. It will begin at 8:41 p.m. and will hit its peak at 10:44 p.m. The moon will finish exiting the earth’s shadow at 12:47 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Partial solar eclipses occur when the Moon passes through part of the Earth’s shadow from the Sun. The shadow will grow then recede on the Moon but will not fully cover it.
The eclipse will be easier to spot because it will be a supermoon. Supermoons occur when a full moon coincides with the moon’s closest orbital distance from the earth. They happen 3-4 times a year and make the moon appear up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter compared to a normal moon.
The full moon tonight is also the one closest to the autumn equinox on September 22, making it this years’ Harvest Moon.