You may have heard a lot of chatter on social media about a lunar eclipse set to take place Tuesday, Sept. 17. Unfortunately, you might be disappointed to learn it won’t be *too* impressive for San Antonio.
During a total lunar eclipse, the moon appears red. That will not be the case Tuesday. Tuesday’s lunar eclipse will only be a partial eclipse, meaning that only a portion of the Earth’s shadow will pass over the moon. More specifically, only 3.8% of the moon will be obscured by the earth’s shadow. Again: the moon will not turn red.
Still, skies will be clear, so if you want to gaze at the moon it should be big and bright in the night sky. That’s because Tuesday’s full moon will also be a supermoon, meaning that the moon appears slightly larger than normal because it’s at or near perigee — meaning it’s at the point in its orbit that it’s closest to Earth.
Here’s what you need to know:
KEY TIMES:
- FULL MOON: The moon will become full at 9:34 p.m.
- PARTIAL LUNAR ECLIPSE: A small sliver of the moon will become dim as part of the Earth’s shadow passes over the moon, peaking at 9:44 p.m.
- NEXT FULL MOON: Oct. 17.
- NEXT TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE: The moon will turn red for the next lunar eclipse, which will be a total lunar eclipse. This will take place just next year on March 14, 2025, at 1:58 a.m.
Fun fact: The full moon Tuesday is also called the Harvest Moon. A Harvest Moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the autumnal equinox.
Read more from the meteorologists on the Whatever the Weather page
Download KSAT’s weather app for customized, accurate forecasts in San Antonio, South Texas or wherever you are
Find the latest forecasts, radar and alerts on the KSAT Weather Authority page
