September 17, 2024: The Harvest Moon shows a partial eclipse during the early hours in North America. Earlier the moon occults Saturn. After sundown, Venus passes Spica.
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by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:34 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 6:56 p.m. CDT. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
Harvest Moon Eclipse
The moon, one of the first celestial bodies that children are taught to identify, has a busy schedule during the nighttime hours. Before sunrise for sky watchers in western North America and Hawaii see the lunar orb occult or eclipse Saturn.
After sundown as it nears perigee, closest to Earth, and its Full moon phase, this month known as the Harvest Moon. In recent vernacular, it is called a supermoon. The moon is closer and brighter, but these effects are not easily observed without photography and instruments to measure the moon’s brightness.
From western Africa and Europe across North America and South America, the moon skims into Earth’s shadow. Nearly 10% of the moon slides through the shadow’s darkest core, known as the umbra. It may take a coppery-orange color, although the Full moon’s intensity may overwhelm the skimpy eclipse.
The prophetic term “blood moon” has been revived in the popular press to describe a total lunar eclipse. Lunar eclipses are usually more orange than red from filtered sunlight streaming through Earth’s atmosphere to gently light up an eclipsed moon. A truly blood red moon would be an interesting sight.
The combination of all of these events will yield word sandwiches like “Blood Harvest Supermoon” – a Harvest Moon Whatchamacallit. The moon is near perigee; the seasonal Full moon is named the Harvest Moon; and the moon experiences a partial – not total – eclipse.
In addition, a wide Venus-Spica conjunction occurs during bright evening twilight.
Here is the planet forecast:
Morning Sky
Morning Occultation
Two hours before daybreak, the nearly-full moon is less than 15° above the west-southwest horizon. Saturn is 1.3° above the lunar orb. Look carefully for the planet. From eastern North America, the moon sets about an hour later.
From the western regions, the lunar orb occults or eclipses Saturn. In Los Angeles, the occultation begins at 4:10 a.m. Pacific Time. Saturn reappears at 5:05 a.m., over 90 minutes before sunrise. A telescope or spotting scope is needed to see the event.
As the moon sets or about an hour before sunrise, bright Jupiter is high in the southeast, nearly overhead. It is the brightest star in the sky this morning. Only the sun, moon, and Venus are regularly brighter. On some occasions, when Mars is close to Earth, the Red Planet is brighter than the Jovian Giant.
Jupiter and Mars
Jupiter plods eastward in front of Taurus, nearly between the Bull’s horns, Elnath and Zeta Tauri.
Dimmer Mars, marching eastward in front of Gemini, about midway from Jupiter to Castor and Pollux, the Twins’ brightest stars.
Mercury
Mercury continues to race into morning twilight. Its brightness rivals Sirius, but it is washed out by morning light. Mercury aficionados can track it through a telescope, about 5° above the eastern horizon. Otherwise, consider the planet a lost cause.
Evening Sky
Venus-Spica Conjunction
As the sky initially darkens following sunset, Evening Star Venus peeks through twilight low in the west-southwest. This evening, use a binocular to look for a wide Venus-Spica conjunction, with the celestial bodies 2.4° apart.
After this evening, Spica slips into brighter twilight, reaching its solar conjunction on October 16th. It reappears before sunrise in the east-southeast around November 3rd.
This evening, find a hilltop or elevated structure to see across any obstructions toward Venus and Spica.
Evening Harvest Moon Eclipse
Tonight, the Harvest Moon rises at sunset. An hour later, the moon is over 10° above the east-southeast horizon and 9.8° to Saturn’s lower left.
Planets and moons cast shadows made of two concentric circles. The outer section of the shadow’s circle is lighter and when the moon passes through it, the moon is darkened a little. The moon still receives considerable sunlight and not much darkening is noticed when the moon is here. The lunar orb enters the penumbra beginning at 7:39 p.m. Central Time.
The center of the circle is dark and the sun is completely blocked by Earth. This is known as the umbra. At this evening’s eclipse, only 10% of the moon slides into the darker umbra, a partial eclipse. This begins at 9:11 p.m. Central Time. The maximum eclipse occurs at 9:44 p.m., ending at 10:16 p.m. The moon leaves the outer penumbra at 11:49 p.m. ending this eclipse.
Tomorrow morning, Saturn sets over 20 minutes before sunrise, disappearing behind the thicker air near the horizon over an hour earlier.
The bright moon is in the sky all night, appearing about 15° up in the west an hour before sunrise.