The full moon in September 2024 will be special.
Any full moon is an impressive sight on its own, but this week’s full moon will be especially notable. Not only is September’s full moon a slightly larger “supermoon” than average, but it will also experience a partial lunar eclipse when it rises on the evening of September 17.
The partial lunar eclipse will be visible from most of North America, all of South America, Europe, all but the eastern parts of Africa, western parts of Asia and Russia, and parts of Antarctica.
If you can’t watch the lunar eclipse in person, you can watch all the action online here on Space.com. We’ve put together several live streams showing the Super Harvest Moon lunar eclipse on September 17.
“Supermoon” is a non-astronomical term that describes a full moon that occurs when the moon is at or near perigee, the closest it comes to Earth in its slightly elliptical orbit. During this time, the moon may appear slightly larger in the sky, although the difference may be difficult for most naked-eye observers to tell.
The full moon in September is the second of four consecutive supermoons this year, after the Blue Moon supermoon in August.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon and casts its shadow on our natural satellite.
These eclipses also visually remind us on Earth of the spherical shape of the Earth, as the umbra creates a curvature on the visible disk of the Moon.
Unfortunately, this lunar eclipse is rather faint; only the upper part of the moon will be immersed in the darkest part of the Earth’s shadow, the so-called umbra. Nevertheless, for those with telescopes or binoculars, the partial lunar eclipse should offer interesting contrasts of craters and other features on the moon’s surface.
Except for the small dark part at the top of the lunar disk, most of the visible lunar disk will be in Earth’s penumbra, the lighter part of the planet’s shadow that doesn’t completely block sunlight. This gives most of the moon a reddish-brown, slightly “smeared” appearance.
The timing of the partial lunar eclipse will depend on your location. For observers in the Eastern U.S. time zone, the eclipse will reach its darkest phase when the Moon is farthest from Earth’s umbra at about 10:44 p.m. EDT on September 17.
In Europe and Africa, the eclipse will be visible in the early hours of the morning on September 18. In London, the eclipse will be most clearly visible at around 03:45 CET on September 18.
For a complete list of partial lunar eclipse milestones for your observing region, go to InTheSky.org and enter your location.
No matter what night it is, the moon never disappoints through optics of any size. If you want to get a closer look at the moon’s many features during a lunar eclipse or any other time, be sure to check out our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars.
And if you want to take photos of our natural satellite, we have tips for photographing the Moon, as well as guides to the best cameras for astrophotography and the best lenses for astrophotography.
Don’t miss our Night Sky Tonight page and monthly skywatching calendar for more celestial events!
Editor’s note: If you get a great picture of the Moon during the partial lunar eclipse in September, and would like to share it with Space.com readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to [email protected].
