full eclipse supermoon: Tuesday night saw a partial lunar eclipse visible to skywatchers worldwide as September’s full harvest moon shone brilliantly.
NASA states that the moon will seem full into Thursday morning, having peaked at its fullest on Tuesday at 10:35 p.m. ET. A partial lunar eclipse on Tuesday night gave the appearance that the moon had been bit off for approximately an hour if you looked at it.
When Earth passes partially between the sun and the full moon, a partial lunar eclipse happens. Over much of Asia, Africa, North America, and South America, as well as over Europe, the celestial event was visible. At 10:13 p.m. ET, the moon moved into Earth’s entire shadow, and at 11:16 p.m. ET, it emerged. NASA predicted that the eclipse would reach its zenith at 10:44 p.m. ET.
According to NASA, a blood moon occurs when the Earth’s shadow completely covers the moon, causing the moon’s surface to seem a stunning crimson color. However, analysts predict that this week will be different. The moon won’t seem red during Tuesday’s eclipse; rather, a section of it will darken, according to NASA project scientist Noah Petro, who works on both Artemis III and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
It might not be apparent if you weren’t aware that it was happening or didn’t even glance at the moon. However, the “top right” corner of the moon is noticeably darker than the rest of it, as a perceptive observer may detect, he wrote in an email. Though not much of the moon will be in the dark, this is the area that is fully in Earth’s shadow. However, if it’s clear, I urge everyone to head outside and have a look—looking at the moon is always rewarding!
According to NASA, the full moon in September is also regarded as the second of four supermoons that are anticipated in 2024. Supermoons are defined differently, but in general, a supermoon is a full moon that is larger and brighter in the night sky because it is closer to Earth than usual.
According to some astronomers, the phenomenon happens when the moon is 90% of the way to perigee, or the closest point in its orbit to Earth.
NASA predicted that September’s full moon would be only 222,637 miles (358,300 kilometers) away, compared to the moon’s average distance of 238,900 miles (384,472 kilometers). Additionally, keep a watch out for Saturn, which will appear near the full moon as a brilliant dot.
Naming the moon
Harvest Moon refers to the season because it falls near the autumnal equinox, which falls on September 22, the official start of fall. A common misconception about the harvest moon is that it becomes orange as it rises, but this is true of all full moons. According to EarthSky, the color is caused by the Earth’s atmosphere being thicker near the horizon.
According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, this is the time of year when many summer-planted crops reach their peak in the Northern Hemisphere. In the past, farmers were able to collect their harvest until the evening hours in order to avoid the first frost.
Other names for the full moon in September that are used by different Indigenous communities are the “autumn moon” from the Passamaquoddy tribe, the “moon of the brown leaves” from the Lakota people, the “moon of full harvest” from the Hopi people, and the “corn maker moon” from the Abenaki tribe.
According to NASA, the European names for the moon also pay homage to the fall harvest. Examples include the “fruit moon,” which is a reference to the fruits that ripen as summer comes to an end, and the “barley moon,” which indicates when the crop is harvested from the fields. Around this season, there are also harvest-related customs such as the Chinese Mooncake holiday and the Korean Chuseok holiday, which both honor family and the memory of ancestors.
Upcoming celestial events
At 222,095 miles (357,428 kilometers) distant, the upcoming full moon, the hunter’s moon, on October 17 will also be a supermoon and the closest of the year. November 15 is the beaver moon, and December 15 is the cold moon, which is the year’s last full moon. For the remainder of 2024, skygazers should expect a busy meteor shower season.
The American Meteor Society lists the following dates as the peaks of anticipated celestial activity:
- Draconids: October 7-8
- Orionids: October 20-21
- Southern Taurids: November 4-5
- Northern Taurids: November 11-12
- Geminids: December 13-14
- Leonids: November 17-18
- Ursids: December 21-22