Trifecta of Awesomeness: Spring Begins, Supermoon Shines, Sun Eclipses

A total eclipse of the sun coincides with the spring equinox and the third of six supermoons in 2015. It won’t be visible in Michigan, though. (Photo courtesy of EarthSky.)

By Deb Belt and Beth Dalbey

The rare trifecta of celestial events happen on Friday: a super moon, a total solar eclipse and the spring equinox.

The third of six perigee moons in 2015 is set to rise Friday morning, says EarthSky. A “supermoon” occurs when the moon rises on the perigee side of the moon’s orbit, which is closer to the earth. The end result is a moon that looks bigger and brighter, and it has a stronger effect on tides on Earth.

This supermoon passes right in front of the equinox sun on March 20, so the moon’s shadow falls on parts of Earth. Only a fraction of the planet will be in the eclipse, including portions of Scotland, Norway and Denmark, says EarthSky.org.

Weather permitting, Michigan residents can see the new moon March 20. Check timeanddate.com for a table of sun and moon rise and set times in your area. The site lists moonrise times for the Detroit metro area.

Related:

• 2015’s Best Celestial Bets for Skywatchers

There are six supermoons in 2015, with January and February already in the books. After this weekend, remaining supermoons come on Aug. 29, Sept. 28 and Oct. 27.

The spring vernal equinox occurs at the same moment across the world , but is converted to local time, The Old Farmer’s Almanac says. If you’d like to time your spring fling to begin at the exact time spring arrives, that’s Friday, March 20, at 6:45 p.m. EDT.

On the equinox, the Sun shines directly on the equator and the northern hemisphere receives roughly the same amount of light and dark.

The spring equinox and solar eclipse won’t occur on the same day again until 2053.

The first since Nov. 3, 2013, the grandeur of the solar eclipse will be visible in only a handful of places, mainly in the high northern latitudes near Greenland and the Danish-owned Faroe Islands. Michigan isn’t among the places that will see the eclipse.