Your guide to seeing the Supermoon Eclipse from Southwest Florida

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Get ready for what should be a dazzling cosmic display in our Southwest Florida sky Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning.

Not only do we get to see a Supermoon, but we’ll also be treated to a lunar eclipse just before sunrise on Wednesday.

The best time to see the Supermoon

We won’t get to see the lunar eclipse until just before sunrise Wednesday, but don’t miss out on seeing the full moon when it makes its first appearance in the southeastern sky at 7:36 p.m. on Tuesday. The best time to see the supermoon will be right around sunset from 8 to 8:30 p.m. 

What’s special about tonight’s full moon is it’s going to appear brighter and more vibrant than most full moons since it’s slightly closer to the earth.

As the full moon rises higher in the sky later in the night, the size of the moon will appear smaller as it moves directly overhead, but it’s still going to provide a bright glowing sky.

The only potential issue for viewing tonight’s moon is the possibility of some thin clouds developing that could make the moon look hazy at times. 

The Supermoon Eclipse

If you’re hoping to see the partial lunar eclipse from Southwest Florida, here’s what you should do:

• You’ll want to make sure you’ve got a clear view of the western sky because the best part of the eclipse will happen as the moon drops lower and closer to the skyline. The beach would be a great spot to see the eclipse, but you might have to be patient in case a few clouds mask the view of the moon.
  
• Make sure to use binoculars if you want an even better view.
  
• The partial lunar eclipse begins around 5:45 a.m. when the darkest part of the earth’s shadow starts covering the full moon.

For a great visual of how the eclipse will appear from our area, Meteorologist Jason Dunning walks you through the timeline and what to expect for each part of the eclipse:

Even though we’ll only get to see a partial eclipse of tonight’s supermoon Wednesday morning, the best place to see the total lunar eclipse will be out west from the Great Plains to Pacific Ocean.

Here’s a map of how the eclipse will look from different parts of the country courtesy of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Ambassador Tony Rice. 

For a refresher on the basics of a lunar eclipse, Meteorologist Rachel Duensing explains the astronomy behind tonight’s celestial show:

If you miss tonight’s eclipse, the next one isn’t until May 2022.

Make sure to share your supermoon and eclipse pictures with us on Facebook or send them to MOC.2-CBN@SPITSWEN.

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