Rare Perigee Lunar Eclipse September 27th

Total Lunar Eclipse Oct. 26, 2004. Image credit: Bob Trembley

There will be a total lunar eclipse the evening of September 27, 2015.

8:11 PM EDT: Earth’s penumbra begins to dim the Moon.
9:07 PM: Earth’s umbra noticeably dims and reddens the Moon
10:11 PM: Start of totality.
11:23 PM: End of totality.
1:22 AM: End of eclipse.

The Moon will be at perigee during the eclipse – the point in the Moon’s orbit when it is closest to the Earth; the Moon will appear slightly larger and brighter at this time.

The Moon’s perigee is about 50,000 km (31,000 miles) closer to the Earth than its apogee – the point in the Moon’s orbit when it is farthest from the Earth.

Here’s hoping for clear skies!

Graphic illustrating the position of the Moon in Earth’s shadow during the total lunar eclipse. Credit: Fred Espenak

Graphic illustrating where the total lunar eclipse will be visible. Credit: Fred Espenak

More: http://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/nasa-scientist-sheds-light-on-rare-sept-27-supermoon-eclipse

P.S.: Notice how I didn’t mention “Supermoon” …

Update: I created this rendering of the lunar eclipse using the software package Celestia:

Rendering of the 27 Sep 2015 lunar eclipse via Celestia.