Blood moon and lunar eclipse features closest possible lunar approach to Earth

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A total lunar eclipse will share the stage with a so-called supermoon Sunday night or early Monday, depending on where you are
There won't be another total lunar eclipse until 2018
This one marks the end of a tetrad, or series of four total lunar eclipses set six months apart
The 21st century will see eight of these tetrads, an uncommonly good run - from 1600 to 1900 there were none

By Ap and Dailymail.com Reporter

Published: 09:04 EST, 27 September 2015 | Updated: 12:03 EST, 27 September 2015

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Get ready for a rare double feature, starring our very own moon.

A total lunar eclipse will share the stage with a so-called supermoon Sunday night or early Monday, depending on where you are.

That combination hasn't been seen since 1982 and won't happen again until 2033.

When a full or new moon makes its closest approach to Earth, that's a supermoon. Although still about 220,000 miles away, this full moon will look bigger and brighter than usual.

In fact, it will be the closest full moon of the year, about 30,000 miles closer than the average distance - the moon's orbit is not a perfect circle.

Scroll down for video

A total lunar eclipse will share the stage with a so-called supermoon Sunday night or early Monday, depending on where you are. Here, statues are seen silhouetted against the moon in Brussels, Belgium on Saturday

NASA planetary scientist Noah Petro is hoping the celestial event will ignite more interest in the moon.

He is deputy project scientist for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, which has been studying the moon from lunar orbit since 2009.

'The moon's a dynamic place,' Petro said Wednesday. 'We're seeing changes on the surface of the moon from LRO. We're seeing that it's not this static dead body in the sky... it's this great astronomical object that we have in our backyard, essentially. So people should get out and start looking at it.'

Many stargazers, professional and amateur alike, dislike the term 'supermoon,' noting the visible difference between a moon and supermoon is slight to all but the most faithful observers.

'It's not like the difference between an ordinary man and Superman,' said Alan MacRobert, a senior editor at Sky & Telescope magazine.

'It really ought to be called a tiny, slightly little bit bigger moon, rather than the supermoon.'

The full eclipse of the moon will last more than an hour and be visible, weather permitting, from North and South America, Europe, Africa and western Asia.

Showtime on the U.S. East Coast is 10.11pm EDT (0211 GMT); that's when the moon, Earth and sun will be lined up, with Earth's shadow totally obscuring the moon.

Explanation of the total lunar eclipse and 'super moon' due on September 28, 2015 (AFP Graphic)

Depending on weather conditions on September 27, lucky viewers will see a full moon that looks larger and brighter than usual, with a red tinge. This image shows the last blood moon, which occurred on April 3

HOW AND WHERE TO SEE THIS WEEKEND'S SUPERMOON ECLIPSE

Sunday's supermoon eclipse will last one hour and 11 minutes.

It will be visible to North and South America, Europe, Africa, and parts of West Asia and the eastern Pacific.

Weather permitting, you can see the supermoon after nightfall, and the eclipse will cast it into shadow beginning at 8.11pm ET (1.11am BST).

The eclipse will begin at 9.07pm ET (2.07am BST) on Sunday night, or Monday morning in the UK.

According to Phil Plait's blog, Bad Astronomy, this is the time you'll start to see a dark 'bite' taken out of them moon on the part of it nearest the horizon.

The moon will then spend just over an hour passing into the shadows, with the last sighting of it at 10.11 ET (3.11 BST).

It will be illuminated once again at 11.23 ET (4.23 BST), and it will be completely out of Earth's shadow at 00.27 ET (5.27am BST).

Nasa is also providing a live stream from 8pm ET until at least 11.30pm ET (4.30am BST), broadcast from Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

The live feed is an alternative for those experiencing less-than-optimal weather or light-polluted night skies.

No special equipment is needed, but binoculars may help you see the details.

U1 is when the moon begins to enter the dark part of the shadow, also known as the umbra. Everyone west of the line U4 will miss the event

In Europe, the action will unfold before dawn Monday. No matter where, the preshow will begin two hours earlier.

There won't be another total lunar eclipse until 2018.

This eclipse marks the end of a tetrad, or series of four total lunar eclipses set six months apart. This series began in April 2014.

The 21st century will see eight of these tetrads, an uncommonly good run. From 1600 to 1900 there were none.

Observatories are marking the celestial event with public telescope viewing, although magnifying devices won't be necessary; the eclipse will be easily visible with the naked eye. Astronomers are urging stargazers to simply look to the east.

In Los Angeles, Griffith Observatory will serve up Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata' on the piano and other moon-themed music.

NASA will provide a live video feed of the entire eclipse - an option in case clouds obscure your own view.

This supermoon is seen as it rises near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC on March 19, 2011. Since 1900 there have only been five 'supermoon' lunar eclipses – in 1910, 1928, 1946, 1964 and 1982

END OF DAYS OR SLIGHTLY LARGER MOON? SOME MORMONS FEAR CATACLYSM IN SUPER BLOOD MOON FORECAST

Sunday night's 'blood moon' and recent natural disasters and political unrest around the world have led to a rise in sales at emergency-preparedness retailers. Apocalyptic statements by a Mormon author have only heightened fears among a small number of Mormon followers about the looming end of time. The eclipse will give the moon a red tint and make it look larger than usual. It won't happen again for 18 years.

It's unclear how many Latter-day Saints buy the theory, but Mormon leaders were worried enough that they took the rare step this week of issuing a public statement cautioning the faithful not to get carried away with visions of the apocalypse.

Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints told its 15 million worldwide members that they should be 'spiritually and physically prepared for life's ups and downs,' but they urged them not to take speculation from individual church members as doctrine and 'avoid being caught up in extreme efforts to anticipate catastrophic events.'

The Mormons preparing to hunker down Sunday night aren't alone. Some from other religions also fear a doomsday scenario. A Christian pastor in Texas has written a book predicting a world-shaking event.

Conspiracy theorists are predicting that Mondays blood moon and a prophesied meteor strike will spell the end of civilisation but this eruption wont put your mind at ease. The cataclysmic event saw a gigantic ash cloud ascend into the atmosphere with lava spewing from the Calbuco volcano in Chile and electrical lightning storms adding to the sense of impending doom

Storing away enough food and water in case of disaster, job loss or something worse is part of the fundamental teachings of the Mormon religion. Many homes in Utah are equipped with special shelving for cans of beans, rice and wheat. The belief that regular history will someday end, bringing a second coming of Jesus, is embedded in the minds of Mormons and the church's official name.

Though most Latter-day Saints probably haven't even heard of this latest theory tied to the blood moon, the church's decision to address it publicly is significant and shows leaders felt the need to reassert their authority on the matter, Mormon scholars said.

'For it to filter up to that level and for them to decide to send out a policy letter means that they felt there was something they needed to tamp down on,' said Patrick Mason, the Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University in California

Kevin Allbee, spokesman for Utah-based Emergency Essentials, said his company has seen a steady rise since June with sales up 200 to 300 percent. He attributes it to a variety of events leading to more anxiety, including the earthquake in Nepal, Russian's intervention in the Ukraine and economic concerns in Greece and China. He said it goes well beyond Mormons in Utah. The company does most of its sales online with customers outside the state.

The public pronouncement by the church comes after leaders earlier this month sent a memo to teachers in the church's religious education system for high school and colleges telling them to be wary of Mormon author Julie Rowe's books.

Rowe writes about and speaks to audiences about a near-death experience in 2004 when she says she crossed over into the Spirit World and was shown tragic upcoming world calamities and told she would be expected to tell others in the future. 'That time has come,' her website proclaims. It is believed her teachings have fueled some of the speculation.

The church memo says that while Rowe is an active member of the religion, her books are not endorsed and should not be recommended as a teaching resource.

Rowe's publisher, Spring Creek Book Co. in Idaho, did not return requests for comment. She issued a statement to The Salt Lake Tribune, which reported on the rise in apocalyptic worries among some Latter-day Saints.

Rowe said she doesn't intend to make her comments church doctrine, but she chose to share her story to help people prepare for the 'times we live in by increasing their faith in Christ and by looking to our prophet and church leaders for guidance.'