Stargazers everywhere are gearing up for a celestial triple treat coming Friday evening.
The rare phenomenon will involve a rare comet, lunar eclipse and "Snow" moon. The eclipse is called a penumbral eclipse of the moon, according to NASA, and it's one of three types of lunar eclipses: total, partial and penumbral.
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On Friday, Feb. 10, you won't see a dark bite taken out of the moon like you would in a partial eclipse, but stark observers may notice a shading on the moon's face, according to space experts at Earthsky.org.
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And like any other lunar eclipse, look up and you’ll also see a full moon, nicknamed the “Snow” moon. This is because each full moon has a different name for its corresponding month and February is the month with the highest average rates of snowfall.
According to Bustle, this will be 2017's second full moon.
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Georgia and most of the U.S. will be able to catch the eclipse during Friday's moonrise, according to NASA.
Credit: NASA
Credit: NASA
The exact moment of the penumbral eclipse is 7:43 p.m. E.T. and it’s expected to last for over four hours.
Watch Slooh.com's livestream of the "Full Snow Moon Eclipse" beginning 5:30 p.m. Friday. Live comet coverage will begin at 10:30 p.m.
A few hours after the eclipse, a rare comet named Comet 45P will make its closest approach to Earth, but that still means it will be 7.4 million miles away. The comet was branded the "New Year comet" because it began its journey across the northern hemisphere at the end of last year.
According to NASA, the comet was visible with binoculars over the western horizon just after sunset in January, but on Friday, you should look over the eastern horizon. Even without binoculars, the naked eye may be able to see a blue-green "head" and fan-shaped tail if the skies are clear.
According to Jane Houston Jones from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Comet45 can be seen from Earth every 5.25 years, but stargazers will have to wait until 2022 to see it again.
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If you want to tune in, here's are some tips on catching the rare phenomenon in Georgia:
- Experts recommend finding a dark location (like hills or treeless farm areas) at least an hour away from any urban areas.
- Best places to watch in Georgia
- North Georgia (past Helen)
- Hard Labor Creek State Park
- Black Rock Mountain State Park
- Charlie Elliot Wildlife Center in Mansfield, Ga.
- Deerlick Astronomy Village in Sharon, Ga.
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