Dawn Wyatt // Contributing Writer
Get your telescopes and binoculars out Sunday night for a rare and spectacular celestial treat.
A total lunar eclipse will grace the skies over Murfreesboro on Sept. 27, and people will be able to watch it from beginning to end right here in the Middle Tennessee area.
“The lunar eclipse, which will happen Sunday night, is when the moon passes behind the earth in respect to the sun,” said Dr. Charles Higgins, professor of physics and astronomy at MTSU. “That means the moon is in the shadow of the earth.”
With the moon passing through the earth’s shadow, this alignment will cause the moon to appear to have turned a copper red color when it’s totally eclipsed. The eclipse, called a Blood Moon or a Harvest Moon, is unique because it is the fourth in a lunar tetrad, which is four blood moons in a row. The previous three occurred on April 15 and Oct. 8 of 2014, and the third happened on April 4th. That’s a lunar eclipse every six months exactly for two years.
A second reason this eclipse is so rare is because it is the fourth in a row that happens to fall on a major Jewish holiday. It has occurred in order on Passover, Tabernacles, Passover and will fall again on the evening of Tabernacles.
Thirdly, this Blood Moon is unique because it will be a super moon, which is when the moon is closest to earth in its orbit. It’s called a super moon because it will appear to be 17 percent larger than normal.
“Another part of the tetrad that’s been so special to us here is that we’ve been able to see all four of them from the United States,” said Higgins.
“At MTSU, the observatory on campus will be open from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.,” Higgins said. “Anyone can come out and join us.”
The observatory is located on Blue Raider Drive just past the Cope Building.
The celestial show begins at 8:00 on Sunday night, with totality beginning shortly after 9:00. The moon will be fully eclipsed for over an hour which should give everyone an opportunity to view this special event.
The eclipse begins Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. and the total eclipse shortly after 9:00.
In case of cloudy skies, the eclipse can be viewed live on NASA’s web site.
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