LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. — At around 9:45 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 28, look to the sky. An incredibly rare celestial event will take place.
A supermoon will coincide with a full lunar eclipse, creating a giant, crimson orb in the sky.
The moon’s orbit around earth is not a perfect circle. A supermoon occurs when the moon, on its elliptical route, is nearest to the earth while simultaneously in its “new” or “full” stage.
What makes this Sunday unique is the coincidence of the supermoon with a full lunar eclipse: some refer to this as a “blood moon,” since it often casts the moon in a red hue. The last blood moon occurred in 1982, and the next one is expected in 2033.
The eclipse will cast a shadow on the moon beginning at 7:11 p.m., Central Time. The total eclipse will begin at 9:11 p.m. and will peak at 9:47 p.m.
The local Astronomy Club plans to open its observatory at 7 p.m. to view the lunar event. The observatory is located on Jeffries Road in Montreal. Contact club organizer Tim White at timewhiteblues@hotmail.com for more details.
