Look Up! Rare Supermoon Lunar Eclipse To Light Up Michigan Sky

A rare supermoon total lunar eclipse will grace the night sky, coinciding with harvest moon, in a spectacular celestial trifecta that will surely leave astronomers, professionals and amateurs in shared wonder.

According to Space.com, as with all lunar eclipses, the region of visibility for Sunday’s blood-moon lunar eclipse will encompass more than half of the planet. It temporarily obscures the moon from view for earthlings. Sometimes there’s a red or orange tint – hence the “blood moon” label – that comes from sunlight bending through the earth’s atmosphere. There is no actual change, simply the moon being closer to earth, appearing bigger and brighter. It appears 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter in the sky, according to NASA.

It happens when the full moon passes through the darkest part of earth’s shadow, called the umbra. “You’re basically seeing all of the sunrises and sunsets across the world, all at once, being reflected off the surface of the moon”, said Dr Sarah Noble, a program scientist at NASA.

Dr Luke Tyas from the South African Astronomical Observatory says animals will also not be affected.

The last time was in 1982, and skywatchers will have to wait until 2033 to see it again. The relatively close proximity to the earth will result in a larger looking moon.

There won’t be another total lunar eclipse until 2018. The clouds open up and it looks like you’re going to see something. This lunar tetrad began in April 2014, with another eclipse in October, and another in April of 2015.

It’s also no cause for concern, despite the ancient Incans and Mesopotamians believing the moon to be under attack during a lunar eclipse.

First Alert meteorologists Ryan Hanrahan and Tyler Jankoski have been tracking a storm over the southeastern states and are concerned that high clouds will be overhead when the eclipse occurs late Sunday evening.