TORONTO – Early risers will prepare for Friday morning as the longest partial lunar eclipse in nearly 600 years will appear.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth, sun, and moon align in such a way that the Earth casts a shadow on the moon, giving it a reddish color.
NASA said the moon is expected to enter the umbra, or inner part of Earth’s shadow, around 2:18 a.m. EST.
Up to 97% of the moon will be covered by the umbra at the top of the lunar eclipse around 4:02 a.m. EST Since this is not a total lunar eclipse, the entire moon will not be obscured.
The eclipse is expected to end around 5:47 a.m. EST, after lasting nearly three and a half hours. This makes it the longest partial lunar eclipse in 580 years Holcomb . Observatory at Indiana’s Butler University. NASA also said the partial lunar eclipse will be the longest of the 21st century.
The eclipse is expected to be visible over all of North America and the Pacific Ocean, as well as parts of South America, Australia, and East Asia. The lunar eclipse also coincides with the November full moon, which was nicknamed the “Beaver Moon” by the Old Farmers Almanac.
“This is the time of year when beavers begin to take shelter in their lodges, having stocked up on enough food for the long winter ahead,” says the almanac.
According to the Canadian Space Agency, lunar eclipses typically occur about twice a year, making them much more common than solar eclipses. If you miss Friday’s lunar eclipse, you can catch the next one on May 16, 2022, when a total lunar eclipse will be at least partially visible over most of Canada.
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