Stargazers get excited! A rare celestial event is taking place high in the sky on Sunday evening. The moon will appear larger than ever with a ravishing red hue at approximately 9:07 p.m. EST on Sunday, Sept. 27.
A super moon will coincide with a lunar eclipse, giving rise to a super blood moon. This celestial wonder will not occur for another 18 years.
So how does this really occur? First, the moon is in a position to be in it's closest proximity yet to Earth, making it appear a full 14 percent larger than usual. Whoa! This is referred to as the super moon also known as the Harvest moon when it occurs in the beginning of the autumn season.
Second, the moon and Earth will align causing a lunar eclipse, but there is more. As AccuWeather explains, "the moon will pass behind behind the Earth into its shadow, resulting in a red tint across its surface. This is called the blood moon.
Eric Edelman of Slooh Community Observatory further explains, "The red portion of sunlight is what makes it through our atmosphere to the other side, bent toward the eclipsed moon, so that even though the moon is within Earth's shadow, the red portion of the sun's light can give the moon this ghostly illumination."
There are a few states that have the best seats in the house, like those on the East Coast, according to meteorologists, while others may have reduced visibility thanks to cloudy skies.
View visibility map on AccuWeather.com.
For star-gazers in states with unfortunate visibility, Slooh will host a live broadcast of the spectacular blood moon from Stonehenge beginning at 8 p.m. EST.
AccuWeather Meteorologist and Astronomy Blogger Dave Samuhel advised that regardless of weather of conditions this is a sight to see. "It's one of best astronomical events to witness without any equipment and we know exactly when it's going to happen," he said.
"The moon will be fully eclipsed for a little over one hour," Samuhel continued. "But the time from the very start to the very end of the eclipse will be a little over three hours."