How and When to View Friday Morning’s Historic Lunar Eclipse
Finally! A historic event that I can view when I get up way too early for work on Friday! Early Friday morning, a near-total lunar eclipse will take place and it will be truly historic. It will be the longest lunar eclipse of the century and the first of its length in 580 years. Now that is worth getting up early for!
KETV reports that on the morning of Friday, November 19th, a full Beaver Moon will take place in a 97% lunar eclipse. That means that nearly all of the moon's surface will be covered by the Earth's shadow. What makes Friday's event so special is just how long it will be. This week's eclipse will last three and a half hours, from 1:18 a.m. to 4:47 a.m. CST. NASA says that the peak of the eclipse will happen at around 3:02 a.m. CST and will be visible to all of North America.
Meteorologist Nick Stewart from CBS2 breaks down the viewing times for Friday's eclipse.
The history-making eclipse comes at the same time as the full Beaver Moon which will reach its peak at around the same time as the eclipse does. KETV reports that the Beaver Moon gets its name from beaver hunting season which used to peak around this time of year. Lunar eclipses can only occur during full moons when the moon is at its brightest.
So just how long will it be until we see another lunar eclipse that lasts this long? CBS2 reports that Friday's eclipse will be the longest one until February 8th, 2669.
Set your alarm now!