People on 4 continents can look forward to seeing a “bite taken out” of the moon this weekend

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A partial lunar eclipse will dominate the night sky on Saturday in a dazzling display that will allow skywatchers to see part of the Earth’s shadow reflected on the moon.

For those in the eclipse’s path, which extends across Europe, Africa, most of Asia and Western Australia, According to Earth Sky The moon will appear to have a bite during the partial eclipse from 3:34 p.m. to 4:52 p.m. Eastern time.

The partial eclipse will be surrounded by a penumbral eclipse that begins at 2:01 p.m. Eastern time and causes the Moon to be slightly dimmed by the reflection of Earth’s outer shadow, otherwise Known as penumbraBefore the planet’s dark inner shadow, umbra, partial eclipse occurs. People along the eastern coasts of North and South America will be able to see the end of the penumbral eclipse, before it ends at 6:26 p.m. ET. According to time and date.

While the Moon will not turn red as it does during a total lunar eclipse, when sunlight reaches the Moon only after passing through the Earth’s dusty and cloudy atmosphere, According to NASA The partial eclipse will provide an easy-to-view display that does not require any additional equipment Dr. Shannon Schmolldirector of the Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University.

“As long as you’re on the dark side of the Earth and you can see the moon, you can see it happening,” Schmuhl said. “If there are observatories or places with telescopes nearby, or you have a telescope, it’s always a good idea to get out and see more of those details up close, but it’s not necessary.”

The upcoming partial lunar eclipse will coincide with October’s full moon, also known as the Hunter’s Moon — likely named because it served as a warning to hunters to prepare for the cold winter months ahead, according to Old Farmer’s Almanac.

A lunar eclipse only occurs when the moon is completely full, as the sun, Earth and moon need to align for the event to occur. Full moons occur When the moon is behind the earth And the opposite of the sun – a lunar eclipse also requires this arrangement, but the celestial bodies need to be Align precisely Schmoll said that the moon is in the Earth’s shadow when it is cast from the sun.

A total lunar eclipse is more aligned than a partial lunar eclipse, as the moon is moving Completely in the Earth’s shadowWhile a partial lunar eclipse shows the Moon passing through only part of the Earth’s shadow.

The orbits of the Moon and Earth make it average Two lunar eclipses Speak annually. The last lunar eclipse was A Penumbral eclipse In May, as the Moon has dimmed as it orbits in Earth’s outer shadow, the next lunar eclipse will not occur Until March 2024.

Lunar eclipses and solar eclipses tend to come in pairs, Schmuhl said, because a solar eclipse requires the moon to be in the new moon phase. The partial lunar eclipse on Saturday comes two weeks after an annular solar eclipse “Ring of Fire” in the sky Over the Americas.

“Most people don’t get to see the Earth from any perspective other than living on it, except astronauts and a very few people, so I think being able to always see that shadow is really interesting,” Schmuhl said. “It’s a reminder that we are part of this larger universe.”

Be on the lookout for Jupiter, Saturn and VenusWhich will also be visible to those on the night side of Earth during a partial lunar eclipse, Schmuhl said.

The next lunar eclipse will be a penumbral eclipse that will be visible to stargazers in North America and won’t even happen March 25, 2024. Two weeks later, a total solar eclipse will also be visible in North America April 8, 2024.

While this weekend’s partial lunar eclipse is the last chance to see the eclipse of 2023, there are other reasons to look forward to the night sky for the rest of the year, including the Orionids meteor shower, which can be seen until its end on November 22, and five others The tops of the remaining meteor showers to catch:

● South Taurides: November 5-6

● Northern revolts: November 11-12

● Leonids: November 17-18

● Gemini: December 13-14

● Ursids: December 21-22

There are two moons remaining in 2023, According to the Farmers’ Almanac:

● November 27: Beaver Moon

● December 26: Cold Moon