Overnight partial lunar eclipse will be longest in 581 years
Although clouds may obscure our view in southern New England, an overnight lunar eclipse will darken 99% of the moon.
By: Tim Studebaker
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – NASA is calling it an “almost total” lunar eclipse.
Scott MacNeill is the Director of Frosty Drew Observatory in Charlestown. MacNeill says, “This is a partial eclipse, but 99% of the moon is largely going to be in Earth’s primary shadow, which we call the umbra, and that’s going to make it look like a total eclipse.”
Late Thursday night into early Friday morning, the sun, Earth, and moon will line up, causing the moon to pass through earth’s shadow.
Francine Jackson is a Staff Astronomer at Brown University’s Ladd Observatory. Jackson says, “It’s just a matter of those special times when mathematically they’ve determined that the moon will actually go into the shadow.”
The moon will slowly start to darken when the partial eclipse begins at 2:19am. It will appear red as the eclipse approaches its peak at 4:03am. After that, it slowly brightens until the eclipse ends at 5:47am.
MacNeill says, “Even if it’s going to be cloudy, it’s still worth setting your alarm for right around 3:45.”
Although lunar eclipses happen several times a year, this one is special. At 3 hours, 28 minutes, and 23 seconds, it’s the longest lasting partial lunar eclipse since the year 1440, and there won’t be another one that long until the year 2669. If clouds do get in the way, you may be able to find a live stream online.
Jackson says, “Usually NASA will do that. NASA always finds good places to go and live stream, but you know it’s still not the same as actually going outside and looking at it yourself.”
For more information about tonight’s eclipse, check out this article from NASA: https://moon.nasa.gov/news/168/an-almost-total-lunar-eclipse/
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