Those who got up last night to look up at the night sky were rewarded with a special sight. The Moon looked brighter and bigger than usual, and there was a partial lunar eclipse on the night between Tuesday and Wednesday.
September’s full moon is unusual, it is a supermoon. It appears when the full moon coincides with a phenomenon called perigee (when the Moon is at its closest point in its orbit to Earth). At this point, a full moon can appear up to 14-percet bigger and 30-percent brighter than the faintest moon of the year, which is when it is farthest from Earth.
Supermoon also has a greater than usual impact on our planet, potentially causing more severe tides.
Supermoons appear three or four times a year. The next occurrences will be on October 17 and November 16.
September’s full moon is special also because it is a partial eclipse.
Lunar eclipses are caused by the Earth passing between the Sun and the Moon, with its shadow falling on the satellite’s surface. This time, the shadow did not completely cover the Moon, which is why the eclipse was partial. During the maximum eclipse, the darkest part of the Earth’s shadow covered only 3.5 percent of the visible side of the Moon.
The eclipse was visible across Europe, Africa, Greenland and North and South America. It began at approximately 05:00. Lithuanian time.
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