Rare Celestial Treat: Sept. Full Moon is a Blood Moon, Harvest Moon & Supermoon w/ Lunar Eclipse!

Blood Moon Full MoonPhoto byJami Lynn (Author) *(Image not to be copied or used without permission from Author)

Get ready for an amazing Full Moon Spectacle: A Super Harvest Blood Moon with a Partial Lunar Eclipse. Stargazers are in for quite a treat with this month's full moon!

This month's full moon will be bigger and brighter and is expected to have a red glow. It is known as the Harvest Moon. It is also the Blood Moon and it is our second consecutive Supermoon. The Harvest Moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the Autumn Equinox, which is on September 22nd this year. The Full Harvest Moon will rise on Tuesday, September 17th, and will reach peak illumination around 10:34 pm EDT. Because it is also a Supermoon it will be on full display appearing much larger and brighter. A Supermoon means it is at Perigee. This happens when the full moon is closest to Earth in its orbit. (When it's at Apogee it's at its furthest distance). We have 4 Supermoons occurring in a row. August Blue Supermoon, September Harvest Supermoon, October Hunters Supermoon, and November Beaver Supermoon.

Photo byAndris GangisonUnsplash

September's full moon is not just a Supermoon it's also a Blood Moon. A Blood Moon occurs during a partial or total lunar eclipse. This happens when the Earth blocks the sun from fully illuminating the moon. The earth's magnetic field then curls and filters the sunlight leaving mostly red light from the color spectrum which lights the moon and gives it a red glow. With the Blood Moon also being a Supermoon it should offer some great viewing for stargazers and night sky photographers.

Photo byBenjamin VorosonUnsplash

The best viewing times for the partial lunar eclipse depend on your location:

East Coast beginning around 8:30 pm and ending just before 1 am. (Maximum at 10:44 pm)

West Coast beginning around 7:00 pm and ending around 10 pm. (Maximum at 7:44 pm)

The Supermoon reaches peak illumination on Sept. 17th at 10:34 pm, but there will be great viewing Sept. 16th-19th. Even when not at peak illumination, the full moon appears full to us for several days.

Is this month’s full moon rare?

Each event happens annually. It is quite rare, however, to have a Supermoon, a Harvest Moon, and a Blood Moon all line up at the same time. So enjoy this beautiful celestial treat. The three events won't all coincide again until September 2033!

Photo byPexels

Enjoy September's rare lineup: A Full Moon, A Harvest Moon, A Blood Moon, and A Supermoon all joining together for great night sky viewing.

Photo byJami Lynn (Author)