Few words in the English language elicit the same amount of reaction as “supermoon.” So now that we’ve taken a collective gasp and gotten our “oos” and “ahhs” out of the way, let’s get to the facts: there is a supermoon eclipse happening on Sunday; it is going to be big and possibly reddish; it is going to make you cry (that’s not a fact, but we wouldn’t blame you if you did).
The supermoon is occurring during a lunar eclipse, so it is being called a “supermoon eclipse” and because of its potentially reddish hue, it is also being called a “bloodmoon eclipse.” When you're discussing with friends, go ahead and use whichever one best suits your personality. The moon will first appear at 6:45pm and the eclipse will start at 7:11pm and last for 72 minutes.
This will be the fourth supermoon in the past 17 months, but not only is this one the “largest” (it will be at lunar perigee, or the closest point to the earth—221,753 miles) it is also the first such eclipse since 1982. The next one won’t happen until 2033, so don't miss Sunday's.
To celebrate, the Griffith Observatory is organizing a watch party. There is a Public Star Party starting at 2pm and the official event begins at 6:30pm. To make your gazing even more enjoyable, Colburn pianist Ray Ushikubo will be playing works by Beethoven. There will also be a livestream from the Observatory if you can’t make it to the event, or the roof of your local parking garage.