The Longest Partial Lunar Eclipse in 580 Years Stuns Skywatchers

A magnificent event enthralled sky enthusiasts across the globe. The longest partial lunar eclipse happened on Friday when more than 97 percent of the Moon fell into the shadow of Earth, and especially those who live in North America, as well as other places on the planet, were the luckiest to observe it.

The eclipse took place overnight from Nov. 18 to Nov. 19, which lasted 3 hours, 28 minutes and 23 seconds, making it the longest partial lunar eclipse in 580 years. “The Moon will be so close to opposite the Sun on Nov. 19 that it will pass through the southern part of the shadow of the Earth for a nearly total lunar eclipse,” NASA announced before the event.

Four amazing photos from the longest almost total lunar eclipse.⚡#Lunar #Moon #LunarEclipse #LunarEclipse2021 #Space #Astronomy pic.twitter.com/0RRtDYlvBV

— Orbit Inside (@orbitinside) November 19, 2021

A reddish moon during the eclipse

Just a small part of the Moon was visible to us during the eclipse. What made this event dazzling to particularly photographers is that the Moon appeared to be a reddish-brown color.

“The more dust or clouds in Earth’s atmosphere during the eclipse, the redder the Moon will appear,” per the US-based space agency that calls the event “almost total” eclipse. “It’s as if all the world’s sunrises and sunsets are projected onto the Moon.”

*November 18th. The phase times above are indicated for the contiguous US time zones, Alaska Standard Time (AKST), and Hawaii Aleutian Standard Time (HST). Source: EarthSky

Where to watch the longest partial lunar eclipse

Those who live in North America, Alaska, parts of South America, eastern Australia, New Zealand, and Japan had the chance to observe the longest partial lunar eclipse. But people in western Asia, Australia, and New Zealand missed observing the early stages of the eclipse. Moreover, it was impossible to see the show from Africa and the Middle East, according to EarthSky.

“For U.S. East Coast observers, the partial eclipse begins a little after 2 a.m., reaching its maximum at 4 in the morning,” NASA reminded. “For observers on the West Coast, that translates to beginning just after 11 p.m., with a maximum at 1 a.m.”

F. Espenak. Royal Astronomical Society of Canada

How to observe it

To bear witness the visual feast, the simple thing you could do was to go outside and look up at the sky. You might have a better view through the equipment including a pair of binoculars or a camera with a tripod.

What is a nearly total lunar eclipse?

A lunar eclipse takes place when the Sun, Earth, and the Moon line up, and the Moon passes into Earth’s shadow to stay in the dark. There is also a total lunar eclipse that happens when the Moon entirely falls within the darkness of Earth’s shadow, which is dubbed umbra. To learn more about how to photograph a lunar eclipse, you can watch the embedded video below by the European Space Agency.

WATCH: How to photograph a lunar eclipse