Astronomical events are always one of the most fascinating events for everyone. This time a rare lunar eclipse is going to occur on night of 27 September 2015. You must be thinking that lunar eclipse happens many times a year than what is so special about this one. This lunar eclipse is coinciding with one more astronomical event related to moon that is called Supermoon.

The Supermoon is that full moon when the moon is at the closest distance from the Earth called the perigee. The usual distance of moon from the Earth is averagely 384, 399 km but during Supermoon it comes as close as 356, 400 km from Earth. This moon is also called blood moon or Harvest moon in the northern hemisphere. Harvest moon is the full moon falling closest to the autumn equinox. In Southern hemisphere this is first full moon of spring.

Supermoon appears 14 % larger and 33 % brighter than the normal full moon. The Supermoon with lunar eclipse is rare event which happened last time in 1982 and next time will happen in 2033.

During the lunar eclipse, the Earth comes in between the moon and sun in straight line and shadow of Earth fall on moon. The brightness of moon disappears but it does not become completely dark. The light around the Earth through the atmosphere falls on moon and a faint coppery red moon can be seen. The blue color of sunlight gets scattered by the atmosphere of Earth but the red component survives and reaches the surface of moon and thus moon appears coppery red. The exact redness depends on the particles present in the atmosphere of Earth during the lunar eclipse. Sometimes, for example during the volcanic eruption the particles in the atmosphere increases which give rise to deep red color moon.

The lunar eclipse have three stages penumbral eclipse, umbral (partial) eclipse and total eclipse. During penumbral the brightness of moon decrease so slightly that it usually remains unidentified by normal people. During partial eclipse, the moon getting covered by the shadow of Earth. In total eclipse, the moon is completely covered in the shadow of Earth.

In US, Canada, and Central and South America, the eclipse will start on the evening of September 27, 2015. In Europe, South/East Asia, Africa, and the Arctic and in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans, the eclipse will occur after midnight on September 28, 2015.

The exact timing of lunar eclipse are different for various locations can be looked from the references. The moon eclipse can easily be observed with naked eyes as it is not harmful in any sense. For better view, you can switch off light or go to a place far from lights. Usually lunar eclipse occur after the midnight but this time it is occurring in the evening after sunset for many location which makes observation more comfortable.

I hope you will enjoy, the beautiful view of lunar eclipse. If you want to know more about astronomy please subscribe us for email notification. You may also follow us on facebook, Google Plus or Twitter.

References :

http://earthsky.org/?p=51212

http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/2015-september-28

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