Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — For the first time in more than 30 years, most of the world will be able to witness a supermoon in combination with a lunar eclipse on late Sunday evening (September 27) into early Monday. But sad news, fellow Filipinos, it won’t be visible in the Philippine skies.
The rare eclipse won’t be seen in the Philippines because the country is located near the equator, Allan Alcaraz, weather specialist from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration’s (PAGASA) Astronomical Observatory, said on Thursday (September 24)
He explained that it will only be visible in countries located on the upper latitude.
On Sunday, a total lunar eclipse will mask the moon’s larger-than-life face for about one hour and 12 minutes, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
The supermoon, which comes around once every year, will appear 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter in the sky that evening before it is engulfed by an eclipse.
“There’s no physical difference in the moon. It just appears slightly bigger in the sky. It’s not dramatic, but it does look larger,” said NASA’s Noah Petro.
The last supermoon and lunar eclipse combination occurred in 1982 and the next one won’t happen again until 2033.
Where to watch
If you are keen on watching the supermoon eclipse, you can watch it real-time through your screens.
NASA will be streaming it live on September 27.
CNN Philippines’ Mikas Matsuzawa contributed to this report.
