The sky will light up Tuesday night with a double lunar phenomenon: the super harvest moon and a partial lunar eclipse.
Supermoons are full moons that appear larger because they occur in tandem with the moment when the lunar orbit is closest to Earth.
According to NASA, this means the Moon appears 30% brighter and 14% larger than when it is at its faintest.
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Tuesday’s supermoon is nicknamed the super harvest moon because it’s the full moon that appears closest to the autumnal equinox. The name dates back hundreds of years, when farmers sometimes used the moon’s light to work later in the evening.
But the bright sky is not the only thing observers can notice.
The full moon, the second in a four-month series of supermoons, coincides with a partial lunar eclipse. This occurs when Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon and casts a shadow on the Moon.
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In this case, about 3.5% of the Moon will appear obscured by Earth’s umbra, a term that describes the darkest segment of Earth’s shadow.
Unlike the April solar eclipse, no special telescopes are needed to safely observe this eclipse.
In Southern California, the moon will rise at 6:52 p.m. The largest pinprick from Earth will appear at 7:44 p.m. and will gradually dissipate over 31 minutes. At 9:48 p.m., the moon will be at its brightest.
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Tuesday’s full moon follows the super blue moon on August 19. The phrase does not describe the color of the moon; rather, it refers to the second full moon that occurs in a calendar month.
Experts tend to consider supermoons to be those that are 90% of the moon’s closest point to Earth.
August’s supermoon was about 224,000 miles (360,000 kilometers) from Earth. This month’s is a little closer: 222,000 miles (357,000 kilometers).
The next supermoons will occur on October 17 and November 15.
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This article was originally published in the Los Angeles Times.
