Look up to see the Supermoon eclipse Sunday evening
HOUSTON -- There's a total lunar eclipse this weekend. And if the weather cooperates, we will be able to see it here in southeast Texas.
Chief Meteorologist Tim Heller says a lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, earth and moon line up and the shadow of the earth falls across the surface of the moon. You'll first start to notice the shadow at 8:07pm Sunday evening. It will slowly advance across the surface of the moon until it's fully covered at 9:47pm. The shadow will partially cover the moon until 11:27pm.
Unlike a solar eclipse, Tim says it's OK to look directly at the moon.
Sunday's eclipse will be even more spectacular because it coincides with a "Supermoon." The orbit of the moon around the earth is not a perfect circle and at times it's closer to the earth than at other times, making it appear slightly larger. According to NASA, the moon appears about 14 percent larger than normal during a Supermoon.
The next time we'll be able to see a total lunar eclipse in Houston will be July 27, 2018. And a lunar eclipse won't coincide with a Supermoon again for another 18 years.
