The Earth’s satellite will provide a double spectacle on Wednesday morning: Due to its non-circular orbit, there will be a full moon particularly close to our home planet and also a partial lunar eclipse in the morning hours. “The moon moves around the Earth on an elliptical orbit and therefore comes close to it once a month. Sometimes this coincides with the full moon,” Uwe Pilz, chairman of the Association of Star Friends based in Bensheim in southern Hesse, told the German Press Agency.
Fluctuating distance
“The distance of the moon from our planet varies between 406,000 and 356,000 kilometers. And since the September full moon occurs close to Earth at a distance of 357,500 kilometers, it is considered a so-called ‘supermoon’ – in contrast to a ‘mini moon’ at a distance from Earth,” says the Hamburg Planetarium.
According to Pilz, the moon will not be noticeably large. It will only appear about 14 percent larger than it does at a distance from Earth. The planetarium also says that the differences are not breathtaking. To compare the size of a “supermoon” and a “normal” full moon, the comparison between a two-euro coin and a one-euro coin is often used.
Partial eclipse
According to stargazers, the partial lunar eclipse can be seen well, weather permitting. The upper right of the moon will be darkened between 4:13 and 5:16 a.m. The effect will be best seen at around 4:44 a.m.
During such an event, the moon crosses the Earth’s orbit at the time of the full moon and partially enters the planet’s umbra. According to the Hamburg Planetarium, only 9.1 percent of the moon will be obscured on Wednesday morning. The rest of the moon’s disk will appear as if covered by a gray veil.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240915-930-232729/1
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