Partial lunar eclipse happening Friday morning

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - November’s longest partial lunar eclipse in 1,000 years is happening during the early morning hours of Friday, November 19, 2021.

The penumbral stages of the eclipse will start around midnight on Friday in central Louisiana, continuing until 6 a.m.

However, the most interesting time to view the eclipse will be during the umbral stage, that will last three hours and 28 minutes, with the peak occurring halfway between this time at 3:02 a.m. central standard time.

This is the longest partial lunar eclipse since February 18, 1440! The next partial lunar eclipse lasting this long won’t be until February 8, 2669.

A partial lunar eclipse is happening during the early morning hours of Friday, November 19.(KALB)

A lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth and moon come into near-perfect alignment and the Earth’s shadow falls on the moon.

During this year’s eclipse, 97% of the moon’s face will be covered by the Earth’s dark shadow that is called the umbra. At its maximum, only a sliver of the moon will be exposed to sunlight, leaving the other 97% of the moon to take on a reddish hue.

In contrast to a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse is safe to view with the naked eye, but using binoculars or a telescope will enhance your view. Some cloud cover is possible early Friday morning, but skies are expected to remain mainly clear during this event.

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