PHOENIX (AZFamily) — September’s full Harvest Moon will temporarily be missing a small piece tonight. Instead of a beautiful circle, a tiny piece of Earth’s shadow will be in the way for a while.
A partial lunar eclipse will be visible here in Arizona when the moon rises Tuesday evening. Only a small portion of the surface will be covered by the Earth’s shadow, with maximum coverage at 7:44 p.m.
It is completely safe to observe a lunar eclipse with the naked eye. Binoculars or a telescope will allow you to observe the lunar eclipse even better. Observing a solar eclipse can damage your eyes.
The partial solar eclipse here in Arizona ends just before 10 p.m.
A partial lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon, casting a shadow that obscures a crescent moon and makes it appear as if it were biting off a piece of it.
Because the moon is in an elliptical orbit, it comes closer to the Earth than usual and therefore appears slightly larger in the sky.
The supermoon is one of three supermoons left this year, with the Earth, moon and sun forming a series of solar or lunar eclipses that occur four to seven times a year, according to NASA.
This lunar eclipse is the second and last of the year after a slight darkening in March.
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