Tonight: Gaze up at the Total Eclipse of the Supermoon

As long as skies stay clear, Beijingers should be able to catch a glimpse of the supermoon total eclipse, Beijing News reports. Frankly, we’re a tad bit skeptical that that sun will dim enough to allow us to see the total eclipse before it fades into a partial, but we’ll be craning our necks up at the sky with the rest of the city anyhow.

The coincidence of a so-called supermoon and a total eclipse sounds like a big deal, but as Space.com explains, it actually results in a shorter viewing period because the orbit is closer to earth – meaning that the total eclipse will only be visible for about 15 minutes or less. However, the partial lunar eclipse could stick around for your viewing pleasure for up to three hours.

Nevertheless, this is the first lunar eclipse of 2021 and the first since the lunar eclipse of January 2019. For stargazers, that makes it worth catching. The moon should enter its eclipse period around 7.19pm, but you can still peep the partial eclipse after 7.27pm.

What is a supermoon total eclipse?

A lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, moon, and earth perfectly align such that the moon moves into the earth’s shadow. A supermoon refers to when the full moon is in the closest part of its orbit to earth, making it appear about 14 percent larger than average. When the two occurrences coincide, you’ve got yourself a supermoon eclipse.

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Image: Nick Owuor (astro.nic.visuals) via UNSPLASH