WASHINGTON — Friday night will see the first full moon after the autumnal equinox and by happy coincidence a lunar eclipse will accompany it.

Greg Redfern, WTOP’s space contributor, says tonight’s moon is called a “Hunter’s Moon,” a moniker derived from bygone eras when the first full moon of the fall meant hunters could hunt at night by the light of the moon.

Friday’s Hunter’s Moon will pass through the outer layers of the Earth’s shower around 7:50 p.m. creating a Penumbral eclipse around 7:50 p.m., EST, says Sky and Telescope Magazine.

Redfern says folks on the east side of the United States will be able to see the eclipse, but says it won’t be as spectacular as the blood red total eclipse moon. Instead, it will be a little shady.

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