A rare phenomenon will be visible in the sky tonight when a lunar eclipse is combined with a Harvest Moon.
The final lunar eclipse of the year is due to take place, and will coincide with the Harvest Moon - when the moon’s face is fully illuminated when seen from Earth.
A lunar eclipse is when the Earth’s shadow moves across the moon which can only happen when the Earth, moon and sun are aligned.
The eclipse will cause the moon to be partially overshadowed and its brightness will dim.
There are two types of shadow that can be cast by the Earth: penumbral and umbral. The umbra is a central cone of darkness that tapers away from Earth, while the penumbra is much lighter and spreads out from the edges of the umbra.
Tonight’s eclipse is penumbral.
It is special because it coincides with the Harvest Moon, so the contrast between a light and a dark moon should be more obvious.
The Harvest Moon and eclipse will not coincide for another eight years, so you will have to wait until 2024 to see it again.
The eclipse will last three hours and is expected to begin at around 5.54pm and peak at around 6.54pm.
If the sky is clear, you should see faint shadows in the upper quarter of the moon’s face with the naked eye. Use a telescope or binoculars to see the shadows in more detail.
You can watch it online at http://main.slooh.com/event/the-harvest-moon-eclipse/
On Thursday evening, the moon above Huddersfield appeared a shade of orange/red, which can happen when the moon is close to the horizon and the moonlight scatters into different wavelengths.
Last year the UK witnessed a rare ‘blood moon’ when the eclipse corresponded with a supermoon, giving the lunar orb a red tint.
