Supermoon Lunar Eclipse Will Help Close Out Boston Calling

Image via NASA on Youtube

For the first time in more than 30 years, a supermoon lunar eclipse will be visible in the night sky over Boston and around the globe, just as the Boston Calling Music Festival wraps up its fall installment.

As long as the weather holds up, concert-goers will get a chance to observe the rare cosmic event in its full glory while rocking out to Alabama Shakes, who will close out the show Sunday night.

The moon will appear to be slightly larger because it will be orbiting the Earth at a closer proximity than normal.

“The term ‘supermoon’ is a bit of a misnomer,” says Quinn Sykes, observatory manager for BU’s Department of Astronomy. “It will be slightly larger, probably barely noticeable.”

However, the real draw is going to be the lunar eclipse. As the Earth passes between the sun and the moon, the big blue planet will cast a shadow on the lunar body, giving the moon a reddish hue—some have dubbed this a “blood moon.”

Check out the video by NASA below for a more complete explanation of this weekend’s supermoon lunar eclipse.

Of course, Boston Calling fans won’t be the only people to catch a glimpse of the event, which should be visible throughout North and South America, Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia, according to NASA.

And while it should be easy to spot within Boston, Sykes suggests heading outside of the city if you want to get an optimal view of the supermoon lunar eclipse.

“You don’t want to have the street lights, the light pollution effecting your view,” Sykes says. “Your best bet is just to get outside the city.”

That said, Boston Calling attendees should have no problem checking out the event, which should last for just more than an hour.

Viewers will begin to see the supermoon dim starting at 8:11 p.m., with a shadow forming on the moon at 9:07 p.m. The total eclipse will be visible starting at 10:11 p.m., just in time to give Alabama Shakes a nice backdrop for their final songs.

If only the act Walk the Moon were playing on Sunday night instead of Saturday.