Who knew our satellite was so polychromatic? But what this means is that this eclipse is actually a proxigean blue red Moon followed by a black Moon. What I like about all this is that during the deepest part of the eclipse, the Moon can turn red (I explain that below). This happens roughly every 20 years or so. The nickname for this event is black Moon (though the term has other meanings as well). What's funny also is that February has 28 days this year, so it won't have a full Moon in it at all! We have a full Moon the day before February 1, and the next one on March 1, the day after February 28. January is such a month this year! The nickname for the second full Moon in a single month is a blue Moon. If you get a full Moon on the first or second day of the month, you can get a second one on the 30th or 31 st. The Moon goes through a complete set of phases in about 29 days (it takes longer than a single orbit of the Moon because the Earth is orbiting the Sun too, and the Moon has to "catch up" to it in the sky I explain it all in my episode of Crash Course Astronomy about the lunar phases). But I think it's still a fun thing to be aware of when you go out to see it!Ī second thing that's neat is that this is the second full Moon in January. Lunar eclipses happen roughly twice a year, so we'd get a proxigean eclipse every few years just randomly (though it's more complicated than that since there are cycles to these events, but I'm just spitballing here). The odds of any random lunar eclipse happening within a day (plus or minus) of perigee is 2 days / 27 days for the Moon to orbit the Earth = 1/14 or so. I'll note too that this isn't a hugely rare event. I like the idea that it gets people interested in astronomy, and going outside to look at the Moon, but I'd prefer we did that a little more honestly. Let me put it this way: If Clark Kent were only as strong as 1.1 men, then calling it a supermoon would be fair. The Moon appears roughly 10% bigger at perigee than it does at apogee (the farthest it gets from Earth in its orbit), which most people would never notice if someone didn't tell them. I'm not really a fan of the term supermoon, because I think it overinflates the actual event. Technically I'd call this a proxigean eclipse (usually this term is used when you get a spring tide at the same time the Moon is at perigee, so I'm widening the term a bit here), but you'll most likely hear it called the "supermoon eclipse" in the media. But I want to note a couple of interesting things about this eclipse.įirst, it happens a little over a day after the Moon reaches perigee, its closest approach to Earth in its elliptical orbit. I'll get to the mechanics of this and how to watch it in a second. I'll be taking out my telescopes, and making a party of it! So get yourself some munchies, drinks, a dark open sky, and catch this eclipse!įor more articles on Astronomy, be sure to follow my website- juliecatona.Near the beginning of the Septemlunar eclipse, the Moon was rising in the east and accented by thin clouds. Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are entirely safe to look at without the need to look through any kind of filter. A modest pair of binoculars will give a superb view of the Moon's surface, but are not required. How to watch a lunar eclipseĮclipses of the Moon are easy to watch with the unaided eye. As the Harvest Moon moves into it's final eclipse of the year use this time reset your intentions in a luculent and forthright manor.Ī Lunar Eclipse occurs on September 27, 2015, at 4 degrees and 40 minutes of Aries (opposite the Sun in Libra), affecting people born with personal planets and points at approximately 0 to 10 degrees of the Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn) most significantly.įind out more about this Lunar Eclipse in Aries. So as the lunar eclipse reaches it peak in totality,and passes through its Umbra, you can expect a resetting of emotions and a release of any spiritual or emotional dead weight you've been carrying. It is the perfect time for creating change. Projects that were once started and left to the curb can be adjusted or completed, during the Harvest Moon's eclipse. A lunar eclipse during a Harvest Moon may focus our attention to our more personal relationships. Today's Astrologers aver that eclipses prompt personal growth and inspire new ideas & opportunities as the full moon represents the Goddess at her most fertile, luminous self. We’ve evolved from the frightening and damnatory times of the Middle ages, when eclipses were seen as a bad omen, to now being able to witness them in a whole new light. ![]() Super Harvest Moon & AstrologyĮclipses have always held a peculiar kind of meaning, especially in the world of astrology. Total duration of the partial phases is 2 hours, 8 minutes.ĭuration of the full eclipse is 1 hour, 12 minutes. ![]() Total duration of the eclipse is 5 hours, 11 minutes.
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