TOLEDO, Ohio — A full moon is expected to light up the night sky on Tuesday. Sept. 17 into early Wednesday morning.
But this isn't your average full moon, as it's also classified as a supermoon and a Harvest Moon. Here's a breakdown of the unique characteristics that makeup each of the moon's classifications.
What is a supermoon?
A supermoon occurs when the full moon phase lands during the moon's perigee, or when it is at its closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit. The moon will look bigger and brighter.
Supermoon's occur only three or four times a year. There are four in 2024. One in August, September, October and November.
What is a Harvest Moon
It is considered a Harvest Moon because it is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox, which is September 22, 2024 for this year. A harvest moon can happen in September or October. It is called a Harvest Moon because the moon would shine its light while farmers would work on the harvest, which would help them work later into the night. It can also be called the "Corn Moon" or "Fruit Moon."
The moon will reach complete fullness around 10:35 p.m. Tuesday night and will continue to look full Wednesday night.
Partial Lunar Eclipse
A partial lunar eclipse will occur just after 10 p.m. Tuesday night.
This will not be like the April 8 total solar eclipse we experienced in Northwest Ohio. A small portion of the moon will be shadowed and eclipse glasses will not be needed.
Around 8:41 p.m., the moon will enter the earth's partial shadow. It will become more noticeable at 10:13 pm. as the moon enters the full shadow of the earth.
Only around 8% of the moon will be covered. Peak eclipse will happen around 10:44 p.m. The moon will exit full shadow around 11:16 p.m. and exit the partial shadow at 12:47 a.m.
Want more from WTOL 11 News?
➡️ Download the WTOL 11 news app for Apple here or get it in the Google store here.
➡️ Get a fresh start to your morning and wrap up your day with the latest news and your WTOL 11 Weather forecast delivered right to your inbox!
WTOL 11's Your Morning Blast and Your Evening Blast deliver stories from northwest Ohio, southeast Michigan and beyond to keep you informed. Click here to get on the list!
➡️ Looking for the lowest current local gas prices? Check out the WTOL 11 gas price tracker, powered by Gas Buddy, here.
➡️ Stay up to date on what's happening in your community with a 24/7 live stream and on-demand content from WTOL 11+. Our free WTOL 11+ apps are available on Roku and Fire TV.
WTOL 11+ features the latest breaking news and weather, plus daily talk shows, coverage of your favorite sports teams from Locked On, fact-checking from VERIFY and the latest trending stories from Daily Blast Live.