A supermoon is a magnificent event in which a seemingly enlarged and bright moon adorns the sky. The good thing about supermoons is that it is not uncommon for up to 3 or even 4 of them to occur in the same year. For example, 2024 will see a series of 4 supermoons. The first was the rare Super Blue Moon, or Sturgeon Moon, which occurred on August 19th. The second supermoon of the year will be between September 17th and 18th. What sets this supermoon apart from others is the fact that it is also a partial lunar eclipse. In addition, this moon is also considered a Harvest Moon, making it a sort of trifecta of celestial events that skywatchers have been waiting for for a long time.

So what is a harvest moon? Put simply, the harvest moon is the full moon closest to the Northern Hemisphere’s autumn equinox. It essentially lights up the evening sky with intense moonlight, which traditionally helps farmers harvest their summer-grown crops over a longer period of time. Harvest moons are also quite a sight, due to their orange and red coloring.

Now let’s look at the partial lunar eclipse as an aspect of this celestial event. First, it is important to understand what it means. While a lunar eclipse is the passage of the Earth between the Sun and the Moon, causing the Earth to cast a shadow on the Moon’s surface, a partial lunar eclipse is a similar event, except that the three celestial bodies are not in a precise line. As a result, only part of the Moon passes through the Earth’s umbra, which is why this phenomenon is called a partial lunar eclipse.

According to NASA, the timing of this celestial event is 10:35 p.m. EDT on September 17, which is 2:35 p.m. GMT on September 18. In IST, this corresponds to 8:05 a.m. While the full moon will be at its peak at this time, the solar eclipse will reach its peak at 10:44 p.m. EDT, which corresponds to 2:44 p.m. GMT and 8:14 a.m. IST.

Coming back to the general phenomenon of supermoons, two more are planned for 2024. The dates for these are October 17 and November 15. The supermoon on September 18 was not visible to people in India, but can still be streamed on NASA’s official website and on numerous astronomy channels on YouTube.