This weekend, much of the world will witness a rare astronomical event – a supermoon eclipse. The combination of a supermoon and a total lunar eclipse means that the moon will be brightest and darkest in 2015 and, according to NASA, it will be the “closest full moon of the year.” This has not happened in 32 years, and won’t happen again for another 18 years.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth is between the full moon and the sun. The Earth’s shadow covers the moon, which often has a red color, hence the “blood” moon nickname.
Although it’s completely in the shadow of Earth, a bit of reddish sunlight still reaches the moon.
The total eclipse will start at 9:11 p.m. CDT Sunday evening and will last one hour and 12 minutes. It will be visible across North and South America, Europe, Africa, and parts of West Asia and the eastern Pacific, NASA said.
Weather permitting, folks in the eastern half of North America can watch every stage of the eclipse, from beginning to end of the partial phases, with the moon mostly high in the sky.
