JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A supermoon and a partial lunar eclipse will light up —and darken — the night sky on Tuesday.
It’s a rare event that almost everyone in the Western Hemisphere will be able to see.
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A partial lunar eclipse happens when the Earth passes between the sun and moon, casting a shadow that darkens a sliver of the moon and appears to take a bite out of it.
According to NASA, the moon will start entering the Earth’s partial shadow at 8:41 p.m. The slight dimming of the moon will be difficult to notice until the top edge of the moon starts entering the full shadow at 10:13 p.m., NASA said.
The peak of the eclipse will be at 10:44 p.m. with only the top 8% of the moon in full shadow. The moon will finish exiting the full shadow at 11:16 p.m. and the partial shadow on Wednesday morning at 12:47 a.m.
In the Jacksonville area, some clouds might get in the way and only a small portion of the eclipse will be seen.
This will be the second of four consecutive supermoons, appearing larger than last month’s supermoon and effectively tied with the full moon in October for the closest full moon of the year.
The Earth, moon and sun line up to produce a solar or lunar eclipse anywhere from four to seven times a year, according to NASA. This lunar eclipse is the second and final of the year after a slight darkening in March.