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Rare red moon, supermoon combination coming Sunday night

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Viewers of the night sky Sept. 27 will see a rare astronomical event when the moon goes into total eclipse while at its closest point to Earth, creating what is known as a supermoon blood moon. In addition to being not only abnormally large, it will also have a red hue that will give it a distinctive appearance.

While lunar eclipses are relatively common, NASA registered 229 in the 20th century and calculates 228 for this century, this red moon shares some characteristics that make it a unique event.

Since the moon’s orbit is slightly elliptical, it can be at different distances from the Earth. It will be at perigee on Sept. 27, making it approximately 31,000 miles closer to the planet than at its farthest point, a NASA release states. This will make the moon appear 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter, giving it the moniker of supermoon.

What gives the blood moon its red tint isn’t its closeness, but the Earth’s atmosphere, said Dan Reichart, University of North Carolina professor of physics and astronomy.

“Our atmosphere is really thin, but we do have it and some of the light just grazes into the atmosphere, including into the shadow that’s cast onto the moon,” Reichart said, describing the blood moon effect. “Red light scatters less and it gets scattered into the shadow.”

The last time a full eclipse occurred during a supermoon was 1982. NASA said it won’t happen again until 2032.

This lunar eclipse will also have other unique characteristics, though they won’t be noticeable to observers. The eclipse will complete a tetrad of lunar eclipses, which happens when four total lunar eclipses occur during a two-year period. The Sept. 27 eclipse will complete a four eclipse tetrad, with previous total eclipses occurring on April 4, Oct. 8, 2014, and April 15, 2014.

Tetrads are historically sporadic. Tetrads were absent from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, but there were eight tetrads in the 9th century, NASA records show. Due to orbital geometry, the moon can only pass through the Earth’s shadow while full a certain number of times.

“The best that can be squeezed out is eight tetrads in a century,” Reichart said. “That’s the maximum.” NASA calculates the 21st century will feature eight tetrads. Already, one occurred in 2003-2004, with the next one scheduled in 2032-2033.

Jon Stewart-Taylor of the Cape Fear Astronomical Society said that since eclipses aren’t affected by light pollution, they can be viewed from anywhere.

“You don’t need special equipment  to watch a lunar eclipse. You can just be outside at the right time and look up,” Stewart-Taylor said. “Watching an eclipse with your unaided eye is pretty spectacular.  If you use a pair of binoculars or a telescope you’ll see more detail on the moon. You can keep track as particular features like craters, Maria or lunar mountains move into the Earth’s shadow.  Perhaps the most important piece of equipment for watching a lunar eclipse is a lawn chair.”

The website www.timeand
date.com states the eclipse will be most visible in Wilmington at 10:47 p.m. Sunday.

Because the supermoon blood moon is relatively rare, astronomy enthusiasts often gather at planetariums or spots like Wrightsville Beach for the possibility of clear views and limited light pollution. In North Carolina, the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center in Chapel Hill will host a viewing and educational program about lunar eclipses.

In Wrightsville Beach, the Oceanic restaurant will host a viewing of the eclipse Sept. 27 and then a Full Moon Rising party Sept. 28, where a member of the Cape Fear Astronomical Society is invited to attend and bring a telescope. The party is scheduled to run from 6-9 p.m. and feature live music as well as a special Moonlight Menu.

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