Supermoon Eclipse Dazzles Tuesday Night

A special event occurred while many were heading off to bed Tuesday night! Not only was the second Supermoon of four straight Supermoons rising, but a partial lunar eclipse accompanied it.

WHAT IS A SUPERMOON

The Harvest Moon--September's full moon--was making its closest pass to Earth. You have to remember that the moon rotates around the planet in an ellipse, between 226,000 miles and 253,000 miles (credit: NASA). When it's full and at it's closest pass, it's referred to as a "Supermoon."

ECLIPSE

So what made this full moon different than most? The partial lunar eclipse! Between 10:12 PM ET and 11:16 PM ET, you might have noticed a sliver of the moon was missing. The dark shadow was actually us! The moon was on the exact opposite side of Earth from the sun. Our shadow covered 8% of the moon, which you might've been able to see with the naked eye. Sad you missed out on it? Don't worry, another lunar eclipse is coming in March next year, just six months away.