Week of Sept. 13-19, 2015

On Sunday night, Sept. 27, we in North America will experience a beautiful total eclipse of the moon.

Such an eclipse, of course, occurs when the full moon slips into the shadow of the Earth far out in space. This occurs every six months or so when the sun, moon and Earth are aligned. Sometimes the moon only partially enters the shadow, and we see what's called a partial eclipse. Other times it passes near the shadow's center and we see the moon fully engulfed: a total lunar eclipse.

A total lunar eclipse is quite remarkable to watch, but this one coming up is no "normal" eclipse. Well, actually, it is, but if you believe what you read on the Internet, it's like no other and will likely be life altering!

First off, this eclipse will occur over North America during the early evening hours, so just about everyone will be able to see it — assuming, of course, you have good weather.

Next, the full moon of September is traditionally known as the Harvest noon. Nothing unusual about this; happens every year. It's so named because in olden times this was a period when farmers harvested crops, and the full moon of that time might have helped provide them with some extra light during the early evening hours.

The September full moon this year happens to lie at perigee, its closest orbital point to Earth. This, of course, occurs every month, but when it happens around the time of full moon you will frequently hear it called a "super moon." Nothing "super" about it, really; at those times it appears about seven percent larger than the average full moon — about the size difference between a 15-inch pizza and a 16-inch pizza — hardly noticeable without measuring it.

Then there's the "lunar tetrad" you might also have heard about. A lunar tetrad is a sequence of four successive total lunar eclipses with no partial lunar eclipses in between. Not particularly rare, the most recent such tetrad occurred in 2003-2004 and the next will happen in 2032-2033.

And finally there's the "blood moon," a term that seems to have become quite popular in recent years, even though there is absolutely no such term in astronomy. It seems to have originated in a recent book titled "Four Blood Moons: Something Is About to Change" in which the authors speak of a lunar tetrad representing Biblical prophecy. Others claim that this September eclipse — er, excuse me, "blood moon" — somehow foretells the end of times for us here on this planet.

Call me a skeptic, but I'm guessing that these guys have still paid their mortgages for October.

OK, so there you have it. On Sunday, Sept. 27, beware! We will experience a total eclipse of a full moon, the Harvest moon, a super moon and a blood moon ... all in one evening and all in prime time when many will be able to watch.

Next week, I'll tell you more about the sky show, the times it will occur and how to view it. In the meantime, be sure to make your aluminum foil hats early ... no sense taking chances.

Visit Dennis Mammana at www.dennismammana.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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