Stargazers are in for a celestial trifecta Friday – a lunar eclipse, a full moon and a comet flyby.
During the “penumbral” eclipse, the full “snow” moon will darken slightly as it moves through the outer part of Earth’s shadow from the sun.
Viewers will be able to observe the phenomenon at 7:43 p.m. EST. It’s expected to last more than four hours.
About 35 percent of all eclipses are of the penumbral type, which are not as spectacular – or noticeable — as a total lunar eclipse.
February is the month with the highest average rates of snowfall – hence the “snow” reference to the full moon, this year’s second. According to the Farmers’ Almanac, full moon names date back to Native Americans.
“The tribes kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to each recurring full moon,” according to the almanac. “Their names were applied to the entire month in which each occurred.”
Some tribes called a February full moon the “hunger” moon because bad weather made hunting difficult.
A few hours after the eclipse, a rare comet named 45P will make its closest approach to Earth – 7.4 million miles away and yet visible with a pair of binoculars, NASA said.
The comet — which has been visible after sunset for the past two months — may be seen over the western horizon about 3 a.m. Saturday.
Even with the naked eye, its blue-green “head” and fan-shaped ion tail may be seen if the skies are clear. Look to the East-Northeast as it rises near the constellation Hercules and moves up the horizon to the East until sunrise after 6 a.m.
The comet, which was first viewed in 1948, is named 45P because the P stands for periodic — meaning we see it on a regular basis during its orbits around the sun. 1P is the famous Haley’s comet, so 45P is the 45th discovered periodic comet.
The comet – whose full name is Comet 45P/Honda–Mrkos–Pajdušáková – will next be back in 2022, said Jane Houston Jones of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
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