The Escapist

for-all-mankind:

Time for a Lunar eclipse! Final eclipse in latest tetrad will occur at prime time in the US.

Sunday, September 27, will see a rare total eclipse of the Moon while it is at orbital perigee. This means the Moon will be at its closest distance to Earth while crossing through its shadow.

The entire eclipse, from first entering the Penumbra to exiting it, lasts 5 hours, 11 minutes, while the total eclipse within the Umbra lasts 1 hour, 12 minutes.

Want to see Sunday’s eclipse? Click here to calculate how much will be visible from your location.

Sunday’s eclipse is the last in a series of four eclipses that occurred during the most recent lunar tetrad. Normally, every one in three lunar eclipses are total; however, when four in a row occur, it is called a tetrad. The other three eclipses in this tetrad occurred on April 15, 2014, October 8, 2014, and April 4, 2015.

This is the second tetrad of the 21st century, the first of which occurred in 2003-2004. There will be eight tetrads in this century, the next one occurring in 2032-2033.

Although the next partial lunar eclipse will occur on August 7, 2017, this will be the last total eclipse until January 31, 2018.

The second lunar eclipse in the current tetrad was seen from the orbit of Mercury by NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft.

What does a lunar eclipse look like from the perspective of the Moon?