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Get ready for a double feature this weekend, starring our own moon. For the first time in more than 30 years, you can witness a red supermoon (pictured here over Washington in July) in combination with a lunar eclipse’
The first “supermoon” lunar eclipse in more than three decades will grace Earth’s skies this month, as will a partial solar eclipse that most of the world will miss.
Get ready for a rare double feature this night, starring our very own moon.
For the first time in more than 30 years, you can witness a red supermoon in combination with a lunar eclipse.
Late on Sunday 26th of September, across much of the world, a total lunar eclipse will mask the moon’s larger-than-life face.
That combination hasn’t been seen since 1982 and won’t happen again until 2033.
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‘It will be quite exciting and especially dramatic,’ predicted astronomer Sam Lindsay of the Royal Astronomical Society in London.
‘It’ll be brighter than usual, bigger than usual.’
Some people event believe it may never happen, with this nigth events, they say, signalling the end of the world.
The last ‘blood moon‘ occurred over Easter and the ‘supermoon’ lunar eclipse will form the fourth event in a ‘Tetrad,’ which is believed to mark the the beginning of significant events – even the the end of the world – in some religions.
When a full or new moon makes its closest approach to Earth, it’s called a supermoon. Although still 222,000 miles away, this full moon will look bigger and brighter than usual.
This will be combined with a lunar eclipse, when the full moon passes through the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, the umbra.
Weather permitting, you can see the supermoon after nightfall, and the eclipse will cast it into shadow beginning at 8:11pm ET (1.11am BST).
The eclipse will begin at 9:07 pm ET (2.07 am BST) on Sunday night, or Monday morning in the UK.
According to Phil Plait’s blog, Bad Astronomy, this is the time you’ll start to see a dark ‘bite’ taken out of them moon on the part of it nearest the horizon.
The moon will then spend just over an hour passing into the shadows, with the last sighting of it at 10:11 ET (3:11 BST).
It will be illuminated once again at 11:23 ET (4.23 BST), and it will be completely out of Earth’s shadow at 00:27 ET (5:27 am BST).
Nasa is also providing a live stream from 8pm ET until at least 11:30 pm ET (4.30 am BST), broadcast from Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
The live feed is an alternative for those experiencing less-than-optimal weather or light-polluted night skies.
Depending on weather conditions on September 27, lucky viewers will see a full moon that looks larger and brighter than usual, with a red tinge. This image shows the last blood moon, which occurred on April 3
U1 is when the moon begins to enter the dark part of the shadow, also known as the umbra. Everyone west of the line ‘U4’ will miss the event
No special equipment is needed, but binoculars may help you see the details.
For those wanted to capture a photograph of the event, Bill Ingalls, Nasa’s senior photographer has some tips.
‘Don’t make the mistake of photographing the moon by itself with no reference to anything,’ he said.
‘I’ve certainly done it myself, but everyone will get that shot. Instead, think of how to make the image creative—that means tying it into some land-based object.’
And he says it isn’t hopeless to attempt a supermoon eclipse with a smartphone camera.
Some believe the eclipse has larger significance.
The last ‘blood moon’ occurred over Easter and the ‘supermoon’ lunar eclipse will form the fourth event in a ‘Tetrad,’ which is believed to mark the the beginning of significant events – even the the end of the world – in some religions.
The next Tetrad cycle won’t occur until 2032.
Some Christians are concerned that the celestial event could mark the start of terrible events, based on a passage from the Bible that says: ‘The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord comes.’
John Hagee, a Christian pastor who has written a book on the Tetrad called ‘Four Blood Moons: Something is About to Change’ told the Daily Express that the April blood moon marked the dawn of a ‘hugely significant event’ for the world.
‘This is not something that some religious think tank has put together,’ the notoriously outspoken church founder said.
Explanation of the total lunar eclipse and ‘super moon’ due on September 28, 2015 ©-, – (AFP Graphic)
Ingalls says, ‘It’s all relative. For me, it would be maddening and frustrating – yet it may be a good
To get the right light balance of the moon on newer iPhones and other smartphones, ‘tap the screen and hold your finger on the object (in this case, the moon) to lock the focus.
‘Then slide your finger up or down to darken or lighten the exposure.
For digital SLR photography, Ingalls uses the daylight white balance setting for capturing moonlight, since sunlight is being reflected.
In a video explaining what to expect Nasa says: ‘First take a full moon, now add the closest approach the moon makes to the Earth on its elliptical orbit, which results in it looking up to 14 per cent larger in diameter – that’s a supermoon.
‘Combine this with a lunar eclipse, when the moon passes behind the Earth into its shadow, giving it a red tint – now you have a super moon lunar eclipse.’
Sunday’s supermoon eclipse will last 1 hour and 11 minutes.
It will be visible to North and South America, Europe, Africa, and parts of West Asia and the eastern Pacific.
Weather permitting, you can see the supermoon after nightfall, and the eclipse will cast it into shadow beginning at 8:11pm ET (1.11am BST).
The eclipse will begin at 9:07 pm ET (2.07 am BST) on Sunday night, or Monday morning in the UK.
According to Phil Plait’s blog, Bad Astronomy, this is the time you’ll start to see a dark ‘bite’ taken out of them moon on the part of it nearest the horizon.
The moon will then spend just over an hour passing into the shadows, with the last sighting of it at 10:11 ET (3:11 BST).
Video: HOW TO PREPARE FOR AND HANDLE POWER OUTAGES FOR MEDICAL DEVICES THAT REQUIRE ELECTRICITY.
It will be illuminated once again at 11:23 ET (4.23 BST), and it will be completely out of Earth’s shadow at 00:27 ET (5:27 am BST).
Nasa is also providing a live stream from 8pm ET until at least 11:30 pm ET (4.30 am BST), broadcast from Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
The live feed is an alternative for those experiencing less-than-optimal weather or light-polluted night skies.
No special equipment is needed, but binoculars may help you see the details.
Here, the moon is seen as it nears a total lunar eclipse in Venice, California. The Tetrad will end on September 28, 2015 but some people fear it marks the beginning of significant events – even the the end of the world – in some religions.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes in the shadow of Earth. This is an area known as the shadow , where light from the sun is blocked by our planet.
The light refracts differently in the atmosphere and, as it hits the moon, it appears red.
This gives rise to its ‘blood red’ appearance during a total eclipse, when the entire moon is in shadow. If it skirts the shadow, known as a partial or penumbral eclipse, the effect is dramatic.
When the moon first enters the Earth’s partial shadow, know as the penumbra, a dark shadow begins to creep across the moon.
This gives the illusion that the moon is changing phases in a matter of minutes instead of weeks.
At the eclipse’s peak, the moon enters the Earth’s full shadow; the umbra.
At this stage, the Earth’s atmosphere scatters the sun’s red visible light; the same process that turns the sky red at sunset.
As a result, the red light reflects off the moon’s surface, casting a reddish rust hue over it.
‘They don’t happen all the time, and the sky has to be clear. It really gives you a chance to look at the moon changing.’
However, some believe the eclipse has larger significance.
The last ‘blood moon’ occurred over Easter and the ‘supermoon’ lunar eclipse will form the fourth event in a ‘Tetrad,’ which is believed to mark the the beginning of significant events – even the the end of the world – in some religions.
The next Tetrad cycle won’t occur until 2032.
Some Christians are concerned that the celestial event could mark the start of terrible events, based on a passage from the Bible that says: ‘The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord comes.’
John Hagee, a Christian pastor who has written a book on the Tetrad called ‘Four Blood Moons: Something is About to Change’ told the Daily Express that the April blood moon marked the dawn of a ‘hugely significant event’ for the world.
‘This is not something that some religious think tank has put together,’ the notoriously outspoken church founder said.
Maybe you should get your dates right.???? The supermoon is on the 28th not today the 27 th.!!!!!