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Stargazers Can See Rare Supermoon Lunar Eclipse This Weekend
This weekend marks a rare celestial event when a full lunar eclipse of the supermoon will take place Sunday night.
The U.S. along with many parts of the world will see a full moon this weekend overtaken by a total lunar eclipse, according to NASA. This is the first time in 30 years the two nighttime events will coincide.
The supermoon on Sunday will appear 14% larger and 30% brighter in the sky. For little more than an hour, it will be engulfed by an eclipse for more than an hour.
On top of the regular lunar eclipse, “this eclipse is the fourth and final in the so called ‘blood moons,’ a phrase that has become popular to describe the four lunar eclipses we have seen in 2014 and 2015. Scientifically this is known as a ‘lunar tetrad,’” according to CNN.
So how and where will this lunar event be visible?
According to NASA, the total lunar eclipse will last about one hour and 12 minutes. It can be seen in North and South America, as well as Europe, western Africa, parts of West Asia, and the eastern Pacific.
The partial lunar eclipse will begin at about 8 p.m. ET in the U.S. The eclipse will reach its peak during the 10 o’clock hour, providing a reddish hue to the normally pale visage. The eclipse will end shortly after midnight.
Make sure to see it, the next supermoon total eclipse will not occur until 2033.