NOTTINGHAM, MD—The longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century will occur this week, and residents of North America should be able to view it.
The Blood Moon/Beaver Moon lunar eclipse will occur before dawn on Friday, November 19, 2021.
On Friday, residents of North America, South America, Australia, and East Asia will see the full Moon turn red…but it won’t turn completely red. In fact, during the event only 97% of the Moon will enter Earth’s shadow in space, leaving a tiny portion still illuminated by the Sun, according to Forbes.
It will also be the longest lunar eclipse in 580 years, lasting about 3 hours, 28 minutes and 23 seconds, according to Space.com.
Viewers will need to look low in the west toward daybreak on Friday morning.
| Event | EST | CST | MST | PST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moon enters penumbra | 1:02 a.m. | 12:02 a.m. | *11:02 p.m. | *10:02 p.m. |
| Penumbra first visible? | 1:54 a.m. | 12:54 a.m. | *11:54 p.m. | *10:54 p.m. |
| Moon enters umbra | 2:18 a.m. | 1:18 a.m. | 12:18 a.m. | *11:18 p.m. |
| Mid-eclipse | 4:02 a.m. | 3:02 a.m. | 2:02 a.m. | 1:02 a.m. |
| Moon leaves umbra | 5:47 a.m. | 4:47 a.m. | 3:47 a.m. | 2:47 a.m. |
| Penumbra last visible? | 6:10 a.m. | 5:10 a.m. | 4:10 a.m. | 3:10 a.m. |
| Moon leaves penumbra | 7:03 a.m. | 6:03 a.m. | 5:03 a.m. | 4:03 a.m. |
CBS News says that U.S. East Coast observers can begin to see the eclipse after 2 a.m. on Friday, and it will reach maximum visibility at 4 a.m. West Coast observers can start to see it just after 11 p.m., with a maximum at 1 a.m.
NASA will have a livestream of the 2021 Blood Moon lunar eclipse here.
Photo via Pixabay
