Rare ‘Harvest Supermoon’ total lunar eclipse Sunday

It must be a dream.

It's September in Minnesota. Every weekend is picture perfect. Sunny skies. Summer-like temperatures in the 70s and 80s. Not a hint of a cold front or snow flurry in sight.

The "ultra-glorious" summer of 2015 followed by the best September I can remember? A rare, once in a generation Harvest Supermoon total lunar eclipse to close out the last glorious September weekend?

Somebody pinch me.

Supermoon Eclipse: Once in a generation event

Just how rare is a Supermoon total lunar eclipse? It turns out it's a once in a generation event. The last time was in 1982. The next one occurs in 2033. So get out there and take in this once in a generation spectacle.

Supermoon eclipses since 1900:

• 1910

• 1928

• 1946

• 1982

• 2015

• 2033

Timing

Here are the details for Sunday evening's total Supermoon eclipse. Have the popcorn ready, this is a primetime event in the skies over Minnesota.

Here's more from Universe Today.

Get set for a superlative eclipse. On Sunday night, September 27 in the Americas (early Monday morning for Europe and Africa) the Full Moon will slide into Earth’s shadow in total eclipse. This is no ordinary Full Moon. It’s the Harvest Moon, the full Moon that occurs closest to the autumnal equinox.

It also happens to reach perigee — its closest point to the Earth — on the very same night, making this a supermoon eclipse. Oh, and this is noordinary perigee. It so happens to be the closest Full Moon of 2015! Supermoon eclipses are rare; the last one occurred in 1982 and the next won’t happen till 2033.

The average Earth-Moon distance is 240,000 miles (386,000 km), but on Sunday night our red-faced companion will edge within 221,752 miles (356,876 km) of Earth and appear 8% larger than normal. Will you be able to see the difference?

Observers in the eastern half of the U.S. can watch the entire eclipse, while those living in the far western states will see the Moon rise already in partial eclipse. If you’re reading this from Europe or Africa, you’ll have to get up early because partial phases start just after 2 a.m. Universal Time Monday morning September 28.

Forecast: Mostly spectacular

Skies Sunday evening should be favorable over most of Minnesota for viewing the eclipse. A few high and mid clouds may favor northern Minnesota, but most of southern Minnesota looks clear to partly cloudy. A few wispy cirrus may decorate and filter the eclipse at times.

Weekend weather winning streak continues

It's been a remarkable run of September weekends. I've listed the high temperatures for all the weekend days in September this year at MSP Airport below.

• Sep 5 89 degrees

• Sep 6 83 degrees

• Sep 7 (Labor Day) 82 degrees

• Sep 12 69 degrees

• Sep 13 75 degrees

• Sep 19 69 degrees

• Sep 20 72 degrees

• Sep 26 (forecast) 78 degrees

• Sep 27 (forecast) 80 degrees

This weekend looks like another spectacular one as late summer-like warmth holds into Monday.

The longer range trends continue to hint at colder temperatures (and possible frost) by the end of the first week of October.

Enjoy this weekend!