On Tuesday (Sept. 17), the Full Harvest Moon will experience a partial lunar eclipse that will be visible for North and South America (except for Alaska), Europe, most of Africa, western Asia, and parts of Antarctica. This eclipse will take place during a “supermoon,” which will make the moon appear slightly larger in the night sky. This occurs when the moon is slightly closer to Earth, which happens because the moon’s orbit is slightly elliptical, or oval shaped.
If you can’t watch the eclipse in person for any reason, there are luckily a number of livestreams available online for you to take in the Super Harvest Moon lunar eclipse.
Lunar eclipses occur when the sun, Earth and the moon are lined up so that Earth casts its shadow on our natural satellite. This lunar eclipse will be only a slight one, with just the top 8.7% of the moon covered by the darkest part of Earth’s shadow. Still, a lunar eclipse is a celestial spectacle worth watching any time it occurs.
For the Eastern time zone of the U.S., the eclipse will begin around 8:40 p.m. EDT on Sept. 17 and will peak around 10:44 p.m. EDT. Europe and Africa, meanwhile, will see the eclipse during the pre-dawn hours on Sept. 18.
For London, the eclipse will appear greatest around 3:45 a.m. BST on Sept. 18.
Livestreams of the partial lunar eclipse of the Super Harvest Moon are available at: https://www.space.com/super-harvest-moon-lunar-eclipse-how-to-watch.