Rare Supermoon Lunar Eclipse Coming This Weekend
— -- A supermoon lunar eclipse will take center stage in the sky this weekend marking the first time the spectacle has been seen since 1982.
The cosmic event will take place on the night of Sept. 27 when two periodic events -- supermoons and lunar eclipses -- will happen at the same time, making for a rare coincidence.
A supermoon occurs when a full moon happens when it is at the closest point in its elliptical orbit around Earth, making the full moon appear up to 14 percent larger and brighter than usual. A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes into Earth's shadow, often turning a blood red color.
The partial lunar eclipse is set to begin at 9:07 p.m. ET and will be visible to most people in the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, according to EarthSky.org. The total lunar eclipse begins at 11:11 p.m. ET.
For those who prefer to watch on their computer screens, NASA's live stream will begin at 8 pm EDT from the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama and will also feature a live look from the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.
No matter how you choose to watch, you won't want to miss this event. The next supermoon lunar eclipse won't come around until 2033.
