Skygazers have the opportunity to witness a partial lunar eclipse this week, coinciding with the September full moon, also known as a “supermoon.” Lunar eclipses occur when Earth’s shadow falls upon the moon, causing odd changes in its appearance. This week’s partial lunar eclipse will turn the moon a reddish hue, visible across the entire northern hemisphere, including North America. The peak of the eclipse is expected to occur at 10:44 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, with the moon entering Earth’s partial shadow at 8:41 p.m.
In addition to the lunar eclipse, September’s full moon, the “Harvest Moon,” will also be a supermoon, appearing bigger and brighter due to its closest approach to Earth. This supermoon will be visible from Monday evening through Thursday morning. The next celestial event to look forward to is a “ring of fire” annular solar eclipse on October 2, visible from parts of South America, the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and Antarctica. The next total lunar eclipse visible to the entire United States will not occur until March 14, 2025.
Overall, skywatchers have a series of celestial events to look forward to, including this week’s partial lunar eclipse followed by the supermoon, the annular solar eclipse in October, and the total lunar eclipse in 2025.
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