Sturgeon Moon eclipse

LISA HOBBS - News Editor

For the astronomers among us, there will be a lunar eclipse on the evening of Thursday, Aug. 27.

Star gazers will get to witness a rare celestial phenomenon as a lunar eclipse will be visible in middle Tennessee. The Penumbral eclipse begins at 8:23 CDT (subtle shading, hard to notice initially). The partial eclipse begins at 9:38 p.m. (a dark bite appears taken out of the Moon). The maximum eclipse begins at 11:12 p.m. (around middle Tennessee, 93 percent of the Moon will be covered in Earth’s dark shadow). The partial eclipse ends at 12:52 a.m. The penumbral eclipse ends at 2:01 a.m.

The entire event will last five hours and 38 minutes. The best viewing time will be around 11:12 p.m. for maximum coverage.

The eclipse will be during a Sturgeon Moon, a full Moon occurring in August, making viewing even more impressive. Its name originates from Native American tribes near the Great Lakes, who associated this Moon with the time when sturgeon were most abundant and easiest to catch thanks to the moonlight and seasonal patterns of the fish.

No special equipment is needed. Binoculars or a telescope can enhance detail. However, clear skies are always the key part to viewing events such as these.

For most of North America, this will be the last total lunar eclipse until June 2029.