Supermoon on Tuesday will also feature a partial lunar eclipse

A partial lunar eclipse also will be visible in Minnesota on Tuesday night, weather permitting.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
September 17, 2024 at 12:34PM
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

It will be a sky watcher’s delight as Tuesday night’s full moon will also be a supermoon, blood moon and harvest moon all rolled into one.

The rare confluence of the cosmic events comes with a bonus: a partial lunar eclipse.

About 8% of the moon will be dimmed by the Earth’s shadow when the peak of the eclipse occurs at 9:44 p.m. Central Time, according to NASA. Weather permitting, the spectacle in which Earth blocks sunlight from hitting the lunar surface and sometimes turns the surface a striking red will be visible across North and South America and parts of Europe and Africa, the space agency said.

And yes, it is safe to view with the naked eye, unlike solar eclipses, which are not, according to Astronomy Magazine. If you miss it, you’ll have to wait until March 14, when a total lunar eclipse will be visible in the Americas, Western Europe and Western Africa, NASA said.

Here is what else will be visible in Tuesday night’s sky:

Full moon: This occurs when the side of the moon facing Earth is fully lit up by the sun.

Supermoon: This occurs when the moon’s orbit is closest to Earth at the same time the moon is full. On Tuesday, the moon is expected to be about 220,000 miles from Earth, much closer than 250,000 miles when it is farthest away. The moon’s orbit is somewhat of an oval, so its distance from Earth fluctuates. The moon appears larger when it is closer to Earth.

Harvest moon: A full moon that appears closest to the start of autumn. Fall begins at 7:43 a.m. Sunday. The name dates from the time before electricity, when farmers depended on the moon’s light to harvest their crops late into the night, according to NASA.

Blood moon: The moon has a reddish or brownish appearance during a partial or full solar eclipse as Earth blocks the sun from lighting the moon. The atmosphere filters out most of the blue light and the remaining light reflects onto the moon’s surface, making it appear with a red hue.

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Tim Harlow

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Tim Harlow covers traffic and transportation issues in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and likes to get out of the office, even during rush hour. He also covers the suburbs in northern Hennepin and all of Anoka counties, plus breaking news and weather. 

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