posted September 26, 2015 04:31 AM            

The supermoon total lunar eclipse, which occurs on Sept. 27, features a full moon that looks significantly larger and brighter than usual. It will be the first supermoon eclipse since 1982, and the last until 2033, NASA officials said in a newly released video.

The total lunar eclipse will be visible to observers throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, western Asia and the eastern Pacific Ocean region.

A partial solar eclipse will take place two weeks before this special supermoon, on Sept. 13, but the earlier event will be visible only to skywatchers in southern Africa (as well as penguins, leopard seals and the other wildlife of Antarctica).
"Supermoons" occur because the moon's orbit around Earth is elliptical rather than circular. While the moon's average distance from our planet is about 239,000 miles (384,600 kilometers), the natural satelite roams as far away as 252,000 miles (405,600 km) at "apogee" and gets as close as 226,000 miles (363,700 km) at "perigee."

A supermoon is a full moon that occurs at, or very near, perigee and appears abnormally big in the sky as a result. In fact, supermoons appear about 14 percent larger and 30 brighter than apogee full moons, which are also known as "minimoons."

Supermoon eclipses are special; they've occurred just five times since 1900 (in 1910, 1928, 1946, 1964 and 1982), NASA officials said in the new video. "Normal" lunar eclipses are much more common. In fact, an observer at any particular location around the globe can expect to see a total lunar eclipse about once every 2.5 years on average.

posted September 26, 2015 04:44 AM            

The supermoon eclipse will last 1 hour and 11 minutes, and will be visible to North and South America, Europe, Africa, and parts of West Asia and the eastern Pacific, according to NASA. Weather permitting, the supermoon will be visible after nightfall, and the eclipse will cast it into shadow beginning at 8:11 p.m. ET. The total eclipse starts at 10:11 p.m. ET, peaking at 10:47 p.m. ET.

A rare phenomenon, there have only been five supermoon eclipses since 1900 (in 1910, 1928, 1946, 1964 and 1982). After Sunday, the next supermoon eclipse will occur in 2033.

A supermoon occurs when a new or full moon is at its closest to the Earth. "Because the orbit of the moon is not a perfect circle, the moon is sometimes closer to the Earth than at other times during its orbit," said Noah Petro, deputy project scientist for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, in a statement. "When the moon is farthest away it’s known as apogee, and when it’s closest it’s known as perigee. On Sept. 27, we’re going to have a perigee full moon—the closest full moon of the year."
http://www.foxnews.com/science/2015/09/25/sundays-rare-supermoon-eclipse-what-need-to-know/