Canada will see a partial lunar eclipse and supermoon on Tuesday night, and you won’t want to miss this impressive celestial display.
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) confirmed that the partial lunar eclipse will occur on Tuesday, September 17. The phenomenon will be visible Canada-wide, and we won’t see another lunar eclipse until early next year.
If you plan to witness this astronomical event, here’s what you need to know.
What’s a partial lunar eclipse?
Dr Ajay Kumar Singh/Shutterstock
According to NASA, a partial lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, earth, and moon are imperfectly aligned. The moon then passes through part of earth’s shadow, thereby partly covering the moon. The shadow grows and then fades without completely covering the moon. Tonight, the moon will enter earth’s partial shadow at 8:41 pm ET.
“The slight dimming of the moon will be difficult to notice until the top edge of the moon starts entering the full shadow at 10:13 pm,” states the space agency. “The peak of the eclipse will be at 10:44 pm with only the top 8% of the moon in full shadow.”
The CSA states that, unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses can be seen by almost an entire hemisphere.
What’s a supermoon?
NASA
If that’s not impressive enough, the moon will also appear larger tonight as it approaches Earth at the closest point in its elliptical orbit, a point known as perigee.
This is what’s called a “supermoon,” a term coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 when the moon is “within 90% closest to Earth.” In addition to being one of the biggest moons of the year, it’s also the brightest and only occurs three to four times a year. According to Space.com, tonight’s supermoon is the last of the three remaining supermoons this year — the next ones will occur on October 17 and November 15.
According to the CSA, the next total lunar eclipse will be visible in Canada on March 13, 2025, and March 2, 2026.