September’s full corn moon coincides with a total lunar eclipse. Here’s what to know

Many sky-gazers world wide will get the possibility to see a dazzling celestial show this weekend — a total lunar eclipse that would trigger the moon to tackle a deep reddish hue.

The lunar eclipse shall be seen Sunday for these in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia, according to NASA. As the solar, moon and Earth line up of their orbits, the moon shall be forged into a crescent-shaped shadow earlier than being totally blocked from the solar by Earth. At that time, some gentle from the solar will make it across the edges of Earth. Blue gentle shall be scattered by air molecules whereas the remaining wavelengths will replicate off the moon making it seem to glow crimson — what is called a blood moon.

The occasion will begin at 11:28 a.m. ET and finish at 4:55 p.m. ET (although the eclipse is not going to be seen to these within the Eastern time zone). Totality — when the moon is totally lined by Earth’s shadow — will begin at 1:30 p.m. ET and final for about an hour and 23 minutes, in accordance to EarthSky.

“The beauty of a lunar eclipse is that it’s gradual. For folks that have seen solar eclipses, they happen fairly rapidly. The lunar eclipse is a far more relaxed environment,” mentioned Noah Petro, chief of NASA’s Planetary Geology, Geophysics and Geochemistry Lab at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “You don’t have to be in a specific spot (to see it), but you have to be in the right hemisphere.”

For these in North and South America who won’t be able to view the eclipse, there’ll nonetheless be alternatives to observe a brilliant full moon this weekend, in any other case generally known as the corn moon.

Here’s what consultants suggest for greatest viewing of the full moon and the total lunar eclipse.

September’s full moon — nicknamed the corn moon because it aligns with the season for harvesting corn, in accordance to the The Old Farmer’s Almanac — will peak across the similar time because the lunar eclipse. But full moons seem spherical to the bare eye sooner or later earlier than and after their peak, so sky-gazers can observe the full moon all weekend and into Monday, Petro mentioned.

For greatest viewing of the full moon and the total lunar eclipse, Petro recommends going outdoors and discovering a spot away from brilliant lights, as they may hinder visibility of the pure satellite tv for pc because it goes via all phases of the eclipse.

“A lunar eclipse is a truly incredible sight, and something you can see without any special equipment — you do not need a telescope or even the special eclipse glasses that you need for a solar eclipse,” Sara Russell, analysis scientist and head of the Planetary Materials Group at London’s Natural History Museum, mentioned in an e-mail. But having binoculars or a telescope obtainable may add to the viewing expertise, Russell famous.

The moon turns crimson as soon as it’s fully blocked by Earth’s shadow, illuminated by red-orange gentle from the sunsets and sunrises on the Earth, Petro mentioned.

Occasionally, straight earlier than and following totality, the moon can seem to have a blue and purple band of sunshine upon it. This phenomenon is brought on by daylight passing via the Earth’s ozone layer within the higher ambiance, Russell mentioned.

While full moons happen each 29 days, lunar eclipses sometimes solely occur about twice a 12 months when the solar, moon and Earth align. For those that could also be feeling neglected, the subsequent total lunar eclipse is about to happen on March 3 and shall be seen in elements of North and South America, Petro mentioned.

“I’m always happy to see the full Moon, whether there is an eclipse or not,” Russell mentioned. “The Moon formed in the very earliest times of the Earth’s history, and the Earth and Moon have been through a lot together. You can see the evidence of that with the naked eye, looking up to see all the craters on the Moon that have been formed over 4.5 billion years of history.”

The subsequent three full moons shall be supermoons — full moons that happen when the moon is closest to Earth in its orbit, making it seem bigger and brighter than common full moons.

Here’s the record of full moons remaining in 2025, in accordance to the Farmers’ Almanac:

Two weeks after the total lunar eclipse, on September 21, a partial photo voltaic eclipse shall be seen in elements of Australia, the Atlantic, the Pacific and Antarctica. This happens when the moon strikes between the solar and Earth, blocking a part of the solar’s gentle from view.

There are additionally alternatives to observe different photo voltaic system exercise, together with a number of meteor showers that can grace the night time sky within the following months.

Here are the height dates of meteor showers anticipated in 2025, in accordance to the American Meteor Society and EarthSky.

Taylor Nicioli is a freelance journalist primarily based in New York.