Dark Side of the Moon



via. Business Insider


On Friday, Earth's shadow will pass over this month’s full moon, making it faintly present in the night sky. This is the last eclipse of 2016. 

This full moon though, isn't your customary full moon. It's a harvest moon: the full moon that falls the nearest to the pre-winter equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, which can possibly make the moon seem much bigger than it typically appears. 

Actually, this is the last harvest moon eclipse until 2024. 

It will last around four hours, achieving its apex at around 2:54 p.m. ET. 

Harvest moons 

Like every full moon, the harvest moon ascends at dusk and sets at dawn. The harvest moon, however, rises just 30 minutes after the fact than it did the day prior. So for a couple of consecutive evenings, the moon appears to ascend with the setting sun, making the moon seem full considerably longer. 

This time around, the harvest moon will float into Earth's shadow. This is the lighter external range of Earth's shadow, and it materializes a subtle lunar eclipse. 

In spite of the fact that the eclipse will be obvious to the exposed eye (not so much in North and South America), the subtleties are best seen through binoculars or a telescope. 

Slooh, an online observatory, will collaborate with The Old Farmer's Almanac to offer a four-hour real-time viewing of the eclipse for viewers everywhere throughout the world. 

During that time, cosmologists will talk about lunar obscurations and the history and old stories encompassing the harvest moon. They'll also take questions from people in general. 

Look at the live stream from Slooh on Friday, September 16, at 12:45 p.m. ET:

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