Supermoon Eclipse in Washington

Many earthlings were treated to a rare sight last night, as a “supermoon” coincided with a lunar eclipse.

The term “supermoon” is not scientific, but instead was coined by an astrologer who defines it as when the moon is within 90 percent of its closest approach of Earth.

It went on until the moon emerged from the Earth’s shadow at 6.24am. An astronaut standing on the moon during the full eclipse would see a dark Earth outlined by a brilliant red ring, witnessing each and every sunset at the same time.

There won’t be another total lunar eclipse until 2018.

Stargazers will be hoping for clear skies for a good sighting of the red moon.

This past Sunday, September 27, the Moon moved behind Earth and was engulfed by its shadow.

What’s nice about the Supermoon lunar eclipse?

The resulting “supermoon” appeared 30 percent brighter and 14 percent larger than when at apogee, the farthest point – which is about 31,000 miles (49,900 kilometers) from perigee.

It is the first first supermoon eclipse in 30 years since 1982 and next won’t happen until 2033.

It has been coined “the super moon”.

Many believe this eclipse is significant as it marks the completion of an unusual line-up of four total eclipses at six-monthly intervals known as a “tetrad”.

“There’s no physical difference in the moon”.

A super moon, or perigee as astronomers often refer to it as, appears when the moon is at its fullest and when it is at its closest point in its orbit around Earth.

In a solar eclipse, the moon is situated between the sun and Earth, effectively preventing sunlight from reaching the planet.

The photo that contains JUST the moon – all in red – was captured by Aubrey Gemignani in Washington, DC.