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What is a blue supermoon?
A rare astronomical phenomenon graced the sky Monday night — a blue supermoon. But what is that? An astronomer from the Griffith Observatory breaks it down.
Skywatchers across the U.S. will be treated to a multifaceted celestial event on Tuesday evening when a partial lunar eclipse and a full Supermoon are visible in the night sky.
The Moon will not only appear brighter but also larger as it approaches perigee, the closest point to Earth.
At its closest approach in October, the Moon will be more than 222,000 miles from the planet.
Because Earth will pass between the Sun and the Moon, a temporary shadow will be cast on our natural satellite, but the event is not expected to be as breathtaking as the total solar eclipse millions witnessed earlier in the year.
According to NASA, the shadow will start to appear around 8:41 p.m. EDT and will peak just over two hours later at 10:44 p.m. EDT.
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The entire event is expected to conclude before 1 a.m. on September 18, with only eight percent of the Moon fully shadowed at its peak.
The full Moon is also known as the Harvest Moon because it occurs close to the autumnal equinox.
According to the Farmer’s Almanac, it is sometimes referred to as the Corn Moon, as Native Americans used the extra light to harvest crops through the night.
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Solar Eclipse: Totality reached in Maine
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Late September and October are typically busy months for farmers as they harvest crops before the arrival of cold weather.
Due to the increased gravitational pull from Earth’s only natural satellite, higher-than-normal water levels, known as King Tides, will be experienced along coastal communities.
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Tide levels can vary significantly based on the terrain but are generally one to three feet higher than an average high tide.
These heightened water levels often lead to nuisance flooding in coastal communities, which can be exacerbated if they coincide with a surge from a tropical cyclone.
Additional Supermoons and high tides will occur during October’s Hunter’s Moon and November’s Beaver Moon.
If you miss the sight, astronomers say the Moon should remain just as bright through Thursday, but you’ll miss the added effect of the eclipse.
Most of the country will be obscured by extensive cloud cover, particularly along the East Coast, Plains and Pacific Northwest, which will hinder viewing.
The next lunar eclipse is not expected to occur until March 2025, when the entire Moon will be covered by Earth’s shadow.
Get updates on this story from FOXWeather.com.