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Local events to check out the supermoon lunar eclipse September 27

Posted at 4:32 PM, Sep 18, 2015
and last updated 2015-09-18 16:32:41-04

Hampton Roads, Va. – Are you ready to see the supermoon lunar eclipse on the night of Sunday, September 27?

Well, a lot of people are getting excited about it.  And so far, I’ve found a couple of events happening here in the Hampton Roads area to give you an awesome experience.

Check out this recent blog post: Rare supermoon lunar eclipse will have you seeing red very soon

The NASA Wallops Flight Facility Visitor Center and its partner the Delmarva Space Sciences Foundation will host a viewing event on Sunday, September 27.

According to the NASA Wallops website, the event will begin with a lunar eclipse presentation at the NASA Visitor Center’s Auditorium at 8 p.m.  That will be followed by eclipse and night sky observations through telescopes, binoculars and the naked eye on the grounds of the Visitor Center from 9 p.m. until 11:30 p.m.  The Visitor Center will also have moon-themed movies, hands-on activities and crafts available that night. The event is free and open to the public.

If you can’t make it to the Eastern Shore to view this rare event, maybe you can try the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News.

The museum will be hosting a “Total Luna-See Party” on Sunday, September 27.  The event will begin at 7 p.m. and will end at 12:30 a.m.  According to a blog post written by the Living Museum’s Astronomy Curator, Dr. Kelly Herbst, the evening will have crafts, games, and other activities for the kids.  There will also be a planetarium presentation about eclipses. Then, at 9 p.m., when the eclipse begins, astronomers and telescopes will be on hand.

The museum’s website says the event costs $4 for VLM members and $8 for non-members.

According to NASA, here’s the eclipse timeline (all times EDT):

Partial Eclipse begins: Sep 27 at 9:07 PM
Full Eclipse begins: Sep 27 at 10:11 PM
Maximum Eclipse: Sep 27 at 10:47 PM
Full Eclipse ends: Sep 27 at 11:23 PM
Partial Eclipse ends: Sep 28 at 12:27 AM

So get out there to check out this rare celestial event.  If you miss this one, you’ll have to wait for the next supermoon total eclipse in 2033!

Sources: NASA Wallops, The Virginia Living Museum