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Supermoon Lunar Eclipse Coming Sunday Night

BOSTON (CBS) - A truly rare and special astronomical phenomenon is coming. An event so infrequent that it has been 33 years since the last occurrence and it won't happen again until 2033! (A once-in-50-year event!)

You've certainly heard of and likely seen a lunar eclipse before. And, you've probably even witnessed a "supermoon" or two in the last few years. But, if you were born after 1982, I can assure you that you have never seen them both happen together.

On Sunday night, you will have the chance to see the elusive Supermoon Lunar Eclipse.

WHAT'S A SUPERMOON?

First a little background. What exactly is a supermoon? This is an event that happens approximately once per year when the full or new moon is at "perigee," meaning its closest point to the Earth in its orbit.

The distance between the Earth and moon varies each month from about 252,000 miles (at its farthest point, known as apogee) to about 222,000 miles when it is at perigee. A full moon at perigee will appear about 14-percent larger and 30-precent brighter than one at apogee.

TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE

A total lunar eclipse, like the one this on Sunday, occurs when the sun, Earth and moon are perfectly lined up. The Earth casts two shadows on the moon during an eclipse, known as the penumbra and umbra. The penumbra stages are at the beginning and end of the event and are not nearly as dramatic as the umbra stage.

Supermoon Lunar Eclipse
(WBZ-TV graphic)

When the moon passes through the "heart" of the Earth's shadow (the umbral shadow) the moon is severely darkened and typically turns a coppery-red color. (sometimes called a "blood moon") Why red? During an eclipse, some light from the sun gets through the Earth's atmosphere and is bent toward the moon. Most colors in the spectrum never make it but the red light typically is the color that does.

Add the larger "supermoon" together with a total lunar eclipse and you have all the makings for a terrific, awe-inspiring sight in the night sky on Sunday!

HOW YOU CAN SEE IT

So how do you see it?

No telescope or binoculars are needed, just look up, you can't miss it!

Here are the times for partial and total eclipse Sunday night:

Eastern Daylight Time (September 27, 2015)

Partial umbral eclipse begins: 9:07 p.m. EDT on September 27
Total eclipse begins: 10:11 p.m. EDT
Greatest eclipse: 10:47 p.m. EDT
Total eclipse ends: 11:23 p.m. EDT
Partial eclipse ends: 12:27 a.m. EDT on September 28

THE FORECAST

Last but certainly not least, what about the weather?

It would truly be a shame for clouds to obscure the view and for many along the East Coast, unfortunately this will be the case.

A very slow moving, almost stagnant, area of low pressure will be just off the Carolinas this weekend. Several inches of rain are expected in parts of North Carolina and Virginia. By Sunday evening, much of the rain will have ended however, there will be a large shield of clouds extending from Florida up through the Mid-Atlantic states.

So those in major cities including: Atlanta, Washington DC, Philadelphia and even New York City will likely be blocked by clouds from viewing the eclipse.

Here in New England, we will be right on the edge of the cloud shield. There may be some high, thin, cirrus clouds making the moon look a bit "fuzzy" at times but overall we are fairly optimistic for a good show.

One exception may be over the South Coast, Cape Cod and Islands where some low clouds could roll in off the ocean.

If you snap any memorable pics, send them into our weather team, we would love to see and share them!

Enjoy the view!

Follow Terry on Twitter @TerryWBZ

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