Where to See Sunday's Supermoon Lunar Eclipse in Rhode Island

On Sunday, the sky above Rhode Island will be the stage for a spectacular display of rare astrological convergence as a full supermoon undergoes a total eclipse.

It also happens to be the northern hemisphere’s Harvest Moon — the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox — offering a triple-dose of awe to an already awesome event.

During a total lunar eclipse, the sun, earth and moon line up so that our planet’s shadow perfectly shrouds the moon.

This eclipse process beings Sunday night at around 8:10 p.m., but the time to put eyes to the sky is at 9:07 p.m., when the partial phase of the eclipse starts. The moon, as it moves into the earth’s shadow, will darken and change color.

Dave Huestis of the nonprofit Skyscapers organiztion that owns the Seagrave Memorial Observatory in North Scituate explains:

When the Moon first encounters the umbral shadow at 9:07 p.m., the partial phase of the eclipse begins. For one hour and four minutes the Moon will move deeper and deeper into the shadow, generally from left to right. Then at 10:11 p.m. the Moon will be completely immersed in the Earth’s umbral shadow and totality begins. Totality will last until 11:23 p.m. for a total duration of one hour and twelve minutes. Will the Moon completely disappear from the sky during totality? We’ll know by mid-totality at around 10:47 p.m.

The answer to that question all depends upon how much dust is in the Earth’s atmosphere at eclipse time. Usually the lunar landscape looks ashen during totality with subtle copper, orange or red tones scattered about. Sometimes the Moon will be bathed in red light. That’s because of sunlight passing through the Earth’s atmosphere and shining on the lunar surface. Think about this event from the Moon’s perspective. The Earth is eclipsing (passing in front of) the Sun, and sunlight is refracting though our atmosphere and shining onto the lunar surface.

There are a few places for Rhode Islanders to check out the eclipse. Obviously, if you have a good vantage point in your backyard, the eclipse will be clearly visible, weather permitting.

If you want to experience the eclipse at an observatory, you have a few options:

• Frosty Drew Observatory at Ninigret Park in Charlestown will be open at 8 p.m. Telescopes will be setup outside. The observatory is located at 61 Park Lane.
• Margaret M. Jacoby Observatory at the Community College of Rhode Island’s Knight Campus in Warwick will be open to the public beginning at 9 p.m. The campus is located at 400 East Ave.
• Seagrave Memorial Observatory opens at 7 p.m. It’s located at 47 Peeptoad Road in North Scituate.

The last time the supermoon-eclipse combo was in 1982.

If you miss Sunday night’s spectacle, you’ll have to wait until 2033 for the next one.