What time is the lunar eclipse tonight? Florida to see partial eclipsed harvest supermoon

Be sure to look up tonight for a rare celestial combo : tonight's full moon — known as the harvest moon — is a supermoon and will appear larger and brighter than usual. At least until it gets partially eclipsed.

And unlike the upcoming solar eclipse, you'll be able to see it in Florida , rain permitting.

Here's what to know about the upcoming partial lunar eclipse and how to see it.

Is the lunar eclipse tonight? What is a partial lunar eclipse?

A lunar eclipse happens when the moon is full and the Earth's shadow blocks the sun, casting the moon (or part of the moon) in darkness.

During a total lunar eclipse, the moon moves into the inner part of Earth's shadow (called the umbra) which can turn the face of the moon a startling red. We'll see a partial lunar eclipse, which can still turn the lunar surface slightly red.

What time is the lunar eclipse tonight?

The partial lunar eclipse begins at 8:41 p.m. EDT and reaches its peak at 10:44 p.m. EDT.

What is a supermoon?

The moon travels around the Earth in an oval-shaped orbit, called an ellipse. When a full moon hits when the moon is the closest to the Earth in its orbit, it's called a supermoon.

A supermoon can appear to be up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than a regular full moon, according to space.com , due to its proximity. When it occurs while the moon is on or near the horizon, it can look huge.

What is the difference between a full moon and a supermoon?

Full moons happen every lunar month, but there are usually only three or four supermoons a year. This year's run of four in a row is very rare.

The name "supermoon" was coined by an astrologer in 1979, NASA said. Astronomers call it a perigean full moon.

Why is it called the harvest moon?

Many cultures gave full moons at specific times of the year names to help keep track of the calendar, planting and harvesting times, and other important dates. Traditionally, the full moon name referred to the entire lunar month when it happened, not just to the moon, according to the Farmers Almanac.

Most of the full moon names we're familiar with come from Native American, Colonial American, and European sources.

There's also another reason: the harvest moon is the full moon closest to the September equinox . If October’s full moon happens closer to the equinox than September’s — which happens about once every three years — then that one becomes the harvest moon and September’s full moon is referred to as the corn moon, according to almanac.com.

The harvest moon is unique. Here's why

Unlike other full moons, this full moon rises at nearly the same time — around sunset — for several evenings in a row, giving farmers several extra evenings of moonlight and allowing them to finish their harvests before the frosts of fall arrive, according to almanac.com.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: What time is the lunar eclipse tonight? Florida to see partial eclipsed harvest supermoon