That huge, bright ball hovering over the earth in Wyoming’s night sky this week was expected, but it’s still spectacular. It’s the second of four consecutive supermoons in the latter half of 2024.
The supermoon reached its peak Tuesday night with a partial lunar eclipse. While it was at its biggest and brightest Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, you still have time to see it the next couple of nights.
Supermoon 2.0
According to NASA, a supermoon happens when the moon is within 90% of its closest approach to Earth. During this time, the moon stays close to the horizon for the entire night, making it appear larger than usual.
Along with being the second supermoon, September’s giant orb in the sky is the last of four full moons during Summer 2024, although that’s because of a quirk of the calendar rather than a unique astronomic phenomenon. The full moons in October and November also will be supermoons.
Along with the supermoon, Gilbratih noted that fall officially begins Sunday morning.
"Our terminal equinox is at 6:43 a.m. Mountain Time on Sept. 22," he said. "That is the official end of summer for everyone in Wyoming to the minute, so no tree leaves are allowed to come down until then."
But September’s last full moon continues a streak of four consecutive supermoons moons started with the blue supermoon in August and will continue into October and November.
Soft Shadow On The Moon
A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon moves into the Earth’s shadow, covering its bright surface with an eerie reddish-brown darkness.
Tuesday’s supermoon was covered by a partial lunar eclipse, but it was so large and bright it didn't fully obscure part of the giant glowing orb. The moon only briefly passed through the edge of the Earth’s outer shadow, which astronomers call the penumbra, which means only a section of the moon’s surface was shadowed.
September’s partial lunar eclipse is a direct consequence of April’s total solar eclipse. Gilbraith said eclipses happen when the celestial bodies are directly opposite each other, which manifests as opposite eclipses within a few months of each other.
“We’re back around again, although the moon's just a little bit out of the full Earth shadow,” he said. “So instead, it's just going to encounter part of the shadow, and that’s the partial lunar eclipse.”
While total lunar eclipses can make the moon look blood-red, Gilbraith was correct when he predicted there wouldn't be any dramatic colors for the partial eclipse.
“The moon won't be black right there, but there will be a noticeable dark shadow on the surface,” he said. “Since it’s passing through the soft edge of Earth’s shadow, it'll turn yellowish orange rather than red.”
The partial lunar eclipse didn't last long. The moon moved out of the penumbra as the night progressed and appeared as an ordinary supermoon by midnight.
When And Where
The eclipse will only happened Tuesday night, but the supermoon should stick around for a few days. When the moon is that close to Earth, it typically looks full for several days after the official full moon.
Gilbraith hopes Wyomingites will take a moment to enjoy the partial lunar eclipse of the supermoon. Although it is only partial, it can be just as awe-inspiring.
“A lunar eclipse is slower and less dramatic than a solar eclipse, but they are quite beautiful when you appreciate that what you're seeing is the Earth's shadow on the moon’s surface,” he said. “We should have a great view of it here.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
