Tonight’s full moon has 3 things happening:
- It’s the harvest moon, or closest full moon to the autumnal equinox,
- It’s also a supermoon, appearing larger and brighter in the night sky. 17 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter
- If that wasn't enough, there will also be a partial lunar eclipse.
The lunar eclipse will begin when the moon enters the Earth's partial shadow at 6:41 p.m. MDT, but it will be difficult to notice until the top edge of the moon begins entering the full shadow at 8:13 p.m. MDT, according to NASA. The eclipse's peak will occur at 8:44 p.m. with 8% of the moon in the Earth's full shadow, appearing like a bite has been taken out of the moon. The moon will exit the full shadow at 9:16 p.m. and the partial shadow at 10:47 p.m. Mountain Time.
The moon's orbit around the earth is an ellipse, not a perfect circle. A full moon is considered a supermoon when it comes within 90% of perigee, its closest point to Earth. According to NASA, the closest supermoons appear "about 17 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter" than the furthest, faintest moon of the year. Supermoons happen only three or four times a year. There are four this year. Tuesday's supermoon will be nearly 3,000 miles closer than August's "blue" supermoon. October’s supermoon will be the year’s closest at 222,055 miles from Earth, followed by November’s supermoon at a distance of 224,853 miles.