A trio of celestial events will take place this week in the skies over the Chicago area, with a supermoon, a partial lunar eclipse and the “Harvest Moon” all occurring on the same night.
The partial lunar eclipse will darken and partially obscure the full moon, which will itself appear slightly bigger thanks to its closer proximity to the Earth, according to officials.
The confluence of events will take place on Tuesday night, and here’s everything you need to know.
What is a “supermoon”?
A “supermoon” occurs when a full or new moon occurs while the moon is within 90% of its closest point to Earth, according to NASA. That translates to approximately 226,000 miles from the surface, on average.
Those full moons tend to be a bit brighter than usual, and can even appear somewhat bigger in the sky, according to experts.
What is a “lunar eclipse”?
During a solar eclipse, the moon travels between the sun and the Earth, blocking out some or most of the sun’s light in a spectacular show.
In a lunar eclipse, the Earth’s shadow obscures the light from the sun as it reflects off the surface of the moon at night.
A total lunar eclipse can sometimes make the moon’s surface take on an eerie red color, but in a partial eclipse, like the one that will occur this week, only a portion of the moon’s surface will be obscured and darkened.
What is the “harvest moon”?
Typically, the full moon in September is known as the “full corn moon,” but when it’s the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox, which will occur on Sunday, it is known as the “harvest moon,” according to Royal Museums Greenwich.
As these events occur at once, what can residents expect?
According to TimeandDate, the partial lunar eclipse will get underway just after 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday night, reaching its peak at approximately 9:44 p.m.
There will be a visible darkening of the moon’s surface, but it will only partially be obscured, according to NASA.