- The full moon in September is also a partial lunar eclipse.
- Plus, it’s a supermoon.
- The partial solar eclipse will be visible throughout North America.
Today’s September full moon is the Harvest Moon, a supermoon, and a partial solar eclipse—all of which could create a brilliant image in the night sky.
Where and when can you see the partial lunar eclipse tonight:
A partial lunar eclipse occurs when part of the moon passes into the Earth’s shadow. In this case, about 8% of the moon is obscured.
The 2024 partial lunar eclipse will be visible across North America. It will begin at 8:41 p.m. EDT, according to NASA. The moon will dim slightly around 8:13 p.m., and the eclipse will reach its peak around 10:44 p.m. EDT.
Who has the best weather to observe the full moon and solar eclipse:
“There are a few regions where great views are virtually guaranteed. This includes virtually the entire Mississippi Valley from the western Great Lakes to the Mid-South, as well as most of the desert Southwest from southeastern California to Arizona,” said Jonathan Erdman, senior meteorologist at weather.com.
“However, clouds and rain are expected from the Chesapeake Bay to the central and southern Appalachians, much of the Plains from western Texas to Montana and the Dakotas, as well as the northern Rocky Mountains and much of the Northwest.”
What makes it a supermoon:
A supermoon looks bigger and brighter than a regular full moon because it occurs when the moon is closest to Earth. This is the second of four consecutive supermoons this year. You can see photos of the August supermoon here.
What else you should know about the Harvest Moon:
The September full moon gets its name from the traditional harvest time of year. It is also called the corn moon, fruit moon, or barley moon and is celebrated by cultures around the world.
In China, for example, it is celebrated with the Moon Cake Festival and in Korea it is Chuseok, a time when people return to their hometowns and pay respects to the spirits of their elders.
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Reporter from Weather.com Jan Childs covers breaking news and features on weather, space, climate change, the environment and everything in between.
