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Lakeside Parks Will Stay Open Late for Lunar Eclipse, Supermoon Sunday

By Alex Nitkin | September 25, 2015 2:37pm
 The total lunar eclipse will run from 9:11 p.m. to 10:23 p.m. Sunday.
The total lunar eclipse will run from 9:11 p.m. to 10:23 p.m. Sunday.
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Flickr / James Badger

UPTOWN — Two lakeside parks will extend their hours to accommodate viewers of Sunday's rare lunar eclipse, the Park District announced Friday.

Montrose Park on the North Side and Rainbow Beach Park on the South Side will stay open until midnight, well past their normal closing times.

The partial eclipse is set to begin 7:11 p.m. Sunday and end 12:22 a.m. Monday. But the total lunar eclipse — that's when the moon shines a bright red — will only run a little over an hour, from 9:11 p.m. to 10:23 p.m. The "maximum" eclipse will be at 9:47 p.m.

The lakeshore will be the perfect vantage point, according to the Illinois Science Council, since the moon will be in the "lower east and southeast sky."

As an added bonus, Sunday will also be a "supermoon" event, when the moon's position will make it appear about 14 percent larger and 33 percent brighter than usual. Cap off your lunar-themed nighttime adventure with some mooncakes to celebrate the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival.

The last time Earth saw a supermoon and a lunar eclipse on the same night, astronomers say, was 1982. The next time will be 2033.

Adler Planetarium will also be holding a special event to view the eclipse.

Let's just hope it isn't too cloudy.

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