ORLANDO, Fla. - Stargazers in Florida and across the nation will be treated to a multifaceted celestial event on Tuesday, September 17, because a partial lunar eclipse and a full "Harvest" supermoon will be visible in the night sky.
The Moon will not only appear brighter but also larger as it approaches perigee, the closest point to Earth. At its closest approach in October, the Moon will be more than 222,000 miles from the planet.
Because Earth will pass between the Sun and the Moon, a temporary shadow will be cast on our natural satellite. The event, however, will not be as breathtaking as the total solar eclipse millions witnessed earlier this year.
According to NASA, the shadow will start to appear around 8:41 p.m. EDT and will peak just over two hours later at 10:44 p.m. EDT.
In Orlando, FOX 35 Storm Team Meteorologist Brooks Garner said a partial lunar eclipse will peak Tuesday at 10:44 p.m. and is safe to view with the naked eye.
"The moon will have a cast of red and 8% of the top-left under the darkest part of the Earth's shadow," Garner said.
The entire event is expected to conclude before 1 a.m. on September 18, with only eight percent of the Moon fully shadowed at its peak.
A harvest moon refers to a full, bright moon that occurs near the start of autumn, according to NASA.
It was given the name "harvest" during a time before electricity, when farmers relied on the moon's light to harvest their crops into the night. The moon's light was particularly vital during fall season when harvests are the largest.