Partial lunar eclipse and northern lights set to coincide overnight

BAGHDAD, Iraq — A partial lunar eclipse and the northern lights are expected to overlap late Thursday into early Friday on the night of Aug. 27-28, giving skywatchers across parts of the world a rare double celestial event. According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a coronal mass ejection following an M-class solar flare on Aug. 25 is expected to produce a G1 to G2 geomagnetic storm. The storm's peak is forecast for 9:03 p.m. EDT, or 4:03 a.m. Baghdad time, about 20 minutes before the eclipse begins. The northern lights are expected to be visible over North America during the same hours. The European Space Agency said Earth's atmosphere filters out blue and yellow wavelengths during an eclipse, bending red light onto the lunar surface and giving the Moon its copper color. The eclipse is projected to darken roughly 96% of the Moon's face, with the next total lunar eclipse not due until Dec. 31, 2028. Astronomer Tom Kers noted that full moonlight usually washes out the aurora, but the dimming during the eclipse could allow the red shades of the northern lights to appear more clearly.