Tomorrow morning will be three-and-a-half hours. Some parts of the planet will experience the most dramatic colour changes. The moon’s light is reddened as it moves through Earth’s shadow.
This will be the longest partial lunar eclipse of the century, according to NASA, with the peak at 09:02 GMT (04:02 ET), when 97 per cent of the moon will be covered in shadow.
You can see it best from North America. Hawaii will receive 97% coverage and the rest of North America is able to witness the whole event.
This is due to the Earth’s atmosphere filtering light from the sun, which causes it to take on a reddish or rusty colour.
Skywatchers in the UK won’t get much of a show, with a small slither of the moon turning red from the start of the eclipse at 06:02 GMT until moonset at 07:24 GMT.
According to Greenwich’s Royal Observatory Greenwich, a partial eclipse is ‘barely noticeable in the UK’ if it happens when the moon passes close to the horizon.
Because it occurs at the furthest point of Earth, this full moon is also known as “beaver-blood micro moon”.
NASA has announced that Friday will be the longest partial lunar eclipse in history. The moon appears red for as long as 3.5 hours. In May 2021, this lunar eclipse was seen in China.
Because it is dependent on moonset and sunrise, your location will affect how visible the eclipse.
The early stages will not be missed by those living in Australia, New Zealand and western Asia. However, the latter stages will be missed by people from South America and Western Europe.
Meanwhile, it won’t be visible at all in Africa or the Middle East.
The eclipse’s first phases will start at 06:02 GMT on November 19 (01:02 ET).
The moon will then gradually become more obscured from 07:18 GMT (02:18 ET), ending at 10:47 GMT (05:47 ET), although the peak point is at 09:02 GMT (04:02 ET).
The UK moon sets on Friday at 07:24 GMT (2:24 ET). This is well ahead of the peak eclipse.
The reddish moon will start to appear in the southern part of England at 07:18 ET (02:18 ET). However, it will only be visible just above the horizon.
Dhara Patel (Royal Observatory Greenwich) told MailOnline that the partial lunar eclipse of Friday morning would be difficult to view for UK residents.
It will not be easy to see the Moon setting if viewers don’t have clear vision of the northern horizon.
‘The Moon will however begin to pass into the outer part of the Earth’s shadow just after 6:00am – early risers will be able to see the full Moon over the north western horizon, but the penumbra (outer part of the Earth’s shadow) is weaker and it’s unlikely to create a visible change.’
When the Earth crosses the line between the sun and moon, it is called a lunar eclipse. Our natural satellite’s shadow will be eclipsed by the Earth’s orbit.
The UK Skywatchers won’t see much, as there will be a small red sludge of the moon changing color from 06:02 GMT to 07:24 GMT.
On November 19, it will make the moon darker for the majority of Earth, with 97% of the moon falling into Earth’s shadow. New York’s last night saw a nearly full moon.
Partial eclipses are when most of the sunlight from the sun is blocked by the Earth. This causes the moon to appear reddish.
The Earth’s shadow blocks sunlight, but it still bends around the Earth, travels through the atmosphere and filters out the bluer wavelengths.
This filtered starlight is reflected as orange and red onto the moon. It causes the moon to look redder during an eclipse.
‘During a lunar eclipse, the Moon turns red because the only sunlight reaching the Moon passes through Earth’s atmosphere,’ according to NASA.
‘The more dust or clouds in Earth’s atmosphere during the eclipse, the redder the Moon will appear.
‘It’s as if all the world’s sunrises and sunsets are projected onto the Moon.’
A number of factors affect how long the eclipse lasts, including the position of the moon in the Earth’s orbit.
It all depends on the position of Earth in relation to the sun.
From the moment that the Earth’s shadow starts to cover the moon it will eclipse for six hours and twenty-two minutes. This is the longest time since February 18th, 1440.
Three factors determine the duration: how far the moon is away from Earth, how far the Earth from the sun and how close the sun, Earth, and moon are to each other at this point.
Friday’s alignment of Earth and moon is perfect.
At 06:00 the moon is seen entering Earth’s pre-shadow (or penumbra) and departing penumbra at 12 :03 GMT (07 :03 ET).
Tomorrow, for three-and-a-half hours, some areas of the globe will witness the majority of the moon’s colour change. It turns red when it passes through Earth’s shadow.
It is determined by three factors: the distance between the Earth and the moon, the Earth’s distance from the sun, as well as how aligned Earth, sun, and moon at this point. On July 27, 2018, the moon entered the earth’s shadow near Sydney Tower.
The partial eclipse, according to Greenwich’s Royal Observatory, will not be visible in the UK if the moon passes close to or below it.
The umbral eclipse, the part covered by Earth’s full shadow, will last for 3 hours and 28 minutes — the longest of the century.
It is 6 hours 1 minute long, and the penumbral shadow (when the moon passes through both the inner and outer portions of Earth shadow) will be the longest lasting in six centuries.
In July 2019, the partial lunar eclipse lasted less than three hours. The one that occurred in June 2010 took two hours and 43 seconds.
There was a partial moonrise in November 1974 that lasted 3 hours 14 minutes. In May 1979, it lasted 3 hours 18 minutes.
NASA reports that the May 1956 partial eclipse lasted just four minutes longer than Friday’s due.
A partial lunar eclipse in 1892 was three hours 26 minutes long, while one in 1511 lasted three hour and 27 minutes. NASA data reveal that one which lasts longer than three hours 28 minutes can be found back at 1440.
Earth won’t see another of this duration until February 8, 2669, however there is a total lunar eclipse in May 2022, that should be visible from most of the UK.
The Royal Observatory Greenwich Astronomers stated that while the UK may not see every aspect of the solar eclipse in May 2022 they can still see totality (when the Moon turns red) when it occurs.
Dhara Patel recommends to anyone who still wants to attempt to spot Friday’s eclipse from the UK that they ‘find as clear a view of northwestern horizon possible’ and head north to areas of the UK where moonset is slightly later.
This gives ‘viewers the opportunity to catch the start of the Moon’s passing into the central part of the Earth’s shadow before it sets below the horizon.
“Viewers will notice a difference in the Moon’s north-west limb as the shadow edge begins to rise, darkening it.