The longest partial lunar eclipse of the century will occur on Friday morning: how to watch

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan – An astronomical event will take place this week and all of North America will have a chance to see it.

A partial lunar eclipse, which will occur during the November full moon, will be visible in the hours before sunrise on Friday. It will also be the longest in centuries.

A partial lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes between the sun and the moon, casting a shadow on the moon. If the entire moon is in the Earth’s threshold shadow, or in the darkest part of the shadow, it is a total lunar eclipse. If only part of the moon is in Earth’s threshold shadow, it is a partial lunar eclipse.

The lunar eclipse on Friday almost It will be a total lunar eclipse, but not quite. About 97% of the moon will be in the shadow of the earth. This means that most of the moon will take on the faint reddish appearance of a lunar eclipse, while a small stripe will still appear normal.

November’s full moon is often called the Beaver Moon, so named because it appears when beavers begin to take refuge in their huts before winter, it will be in the shadow of the Earth for several hours, and it will be visible to all of North America if there are clouds. conditions allow it.

In total, the partial lunar eclipse is expected to last three hours and 28 minutes, making it the longest not only of the 21st century, but in more than 580 years, NASA records show.

“Partial lunar eclipses may not be as spectacular as total lunar eclipses, where the Moon is completely covered by Earth’s shadow, but they do occur more frequently,” NASA stated on its website. “And that just means more opportunities to witness small changes in our solar system that sometimes happen before our eyes.”

The eclipse will be visible in North and South America, the Pacific region, Australia, and East Asia, weather permitting.

Unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse is safe to see with the naked eye. It also doesn’t require special equipment to view it, although you can use binoculars or a small telescope to get a closer look.

Each year, there are two to five lunar eclipses, NASA says.