Where And When To Catch Tuesday’s Super Harvest Moon Lunar Eclipse
As NASA and the US government work out an international time standard for the Moon, night gazers are in for a special treat this week. The full moon on September 17th will have a little bite taken out of one side, as a partial lunar eclipse occurs. A partial eclipse is when the Earth’s lighter outer shadow, the penumbra, and a small part of the Earth’s darker inner shadow, the umbra, darken the Moon’s surface. The event will only last for about an hour, so be sure to know when the event is to take place wherever one is located.
The lunar eclipse will be visible from anywhere on the Earth’s night side, but because different locations on Earth follow different time zones, local times and dates for the eclipse will vary. An example is the eclipse will begin in the early morning hours of September 18th for most in Europe, while in places such as Chicago, the eclipse will begin at around 7:41pm local time on September 17th.
Because viewers will need to be on the dark side of the Earth to view the eclipse, this means Europe, Africa, North America, South America, and some parts of Asia will be able to view it. The eclipse will also be viewable over the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, as well as the Arctic, and Antarctica.
Joining the festivities in the night sky on September 17-18 will be Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn being on display. Saturn will be the first of the three planets to rise, around the same time as the Moon. Jupiter and Mars will rise later during the night and follow Saturn and the Moon across the sky from east to west.
In anyone who is unsure of when the best time to view the partial lunar eclipse is for their time zone, checking a skywatching app, such as Stellarium, or checking NASA’s website can provide the necessary information.
