September's full moon will also cause a partial lunar eclipse: how and when to observe it

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Skywatchers around the world can catch a glimpse of a partial lunar eclipse as September's full moon shines brightly on Tuesday night.

The moon will reach its largest full moon at 10:35 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, but will appear full until Thursday morning, according to NASA.

If you observe the moon on Tuesday night, for about an hour it will look like a chunk has been bitten out of it due to a partial lunar eclipse. A partial lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth moves between the sun and the full moon without being perfectly aligned. The celestial event will be visible over Europe and much of Asia, Africa, North America and South America.

The Moon will fully enter Earth's shadow at 10:13 p.m. ET and exit it at 11:16 p.m. ET.

The peak of the eclipse is expected to be at 10:44 p.m. ET, according to NASA. Be sure to check the Time and Date website to see when the partial eclipse will be visible in your area; it will occur in the evening in the United States, but in Europe in the early morning hours.

During a total lunar eclipse, Earth's shadow can turn the moon's surface a striking red, which NASA calls a blood moon. But that won't be the case tonight, experts say.

“Tonight's lunar eclipse will not be a total lunar eclipse, so the moon will not appear red, instead part of the moon will darken,” said Noah Petro, NASA project scientist for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and Artemis III.

“If you didn't know it was happening, or if you weren't even looking at the moon, you might not notice. But the careful observer might notice that the 'upper right' corner of the moon is darker than the rest of the moon,” he said via email. “That's the part that is completely in (Earth's) shadow, although not a large part of the moon is in darkness. But when it's clear, I encourage people to go out and look, it's always worth looking at the moon!”

September's full moon also qualifies as the second of four consecutive supermoons expected in 2024, according to NASA. Definitions of a supermoon can vary, but the term generally refers to a full moon that is closer to Earth than normal and therefore appears larger and brighter in the night sky. Some astronomers say the phenomenon occurs when the moon is within 90% of perigee – its closest approach to Earth in orbit.

While the typical distance between Earth and the Moon is an average of 384,472 kilometers, September's full moon will be only 358,300 kilometers away, according to NASA.

And keep an eye out for Saturn, which will appear as a bright dot near the full moon.

The name “Harvest Moon” is a reference to the time of year, as the event occurs shortly before the beginning of autumn or at the autumn equinox on September 22nd.

Many people associate the full moon with its orange color when it rises, but the same could be said of all full moons. The hue is due to the greater thickness of the Earth's atmosphere near the horizon, according to EarthSky.

Typically, this time of year is when many summer-grown crops in the Northern Hemisphere reach their peak, and according to The Old Farmer's Almanac, the bright moon once helped farmers work into the evening hours to bring in their crops before the first frost.

Other nicknames for the September full moon used by various indigenous tribes include the “Full Harvest Moon” of the Hopi people, the “Cornmaker Moon” of the Abenaki tribe, the “Brown Leaf Moon” of the Lakota people, and the “Autumn Moon” of the Passamaquoddy tribe.

The European names for the moon are also dedicated to the autumn harvest. For example, according to NASA, the “Fruit Moon” is an allusion to the fruits that ripen towards the end of summer, and the “Barley Moon” marks the time of harvest in the fields.

Other Thanksgiving traditions of this time include the Korean Chuseok Festival and the Chinese Mooncake Festival, which are also celebrations of family and ancestral remembrance.

The next full moon, the Hunter's Moon on October 17, will also be a supermoon and, at a distance of 357,428 kilometers, the closest of the year.

The Beaver Moon will occur on November 15th and the last full moon of the year will be the Cold Moon on December 15th.

Meanwhile, skywatchers can look forward to an eventful meteor shower season through the end of 2024. Here are the key dates for upcoming celestial activity, according to the American Meteor Society:

Draconids: 7–8 October

Orionids: October 20-21

Southern Taurids: 4–5 November

Northern Taurids: 11–12 November

Leonids: 17–18 November

Geminids: December 13-14

Ursids: 21–22 December