Partial Lunar Eclipse Will Be High in North American Skies: Here's When and Where It Will Be Visible

A partial lunar eclipse will occur on November 19 and NASA predicts that it will last for 3 hours and 28 minutes, the longest partial lunar eclipse this century. It will be most visible to North America, where they will see up to 97% of the Moon will slip into Earth's shadow.

According to EarthSky.org, it will be an exceptionally deep partial lunar eclipse with an umbral eclipse magnitude of 0.9742. Most of the Moon would look red during the eclipse, while just a think silver of it will be exposed to direct Sun at maximum eclipse.

When and Where Will the Partial Lunar Eclipse Be Visible?

The partial lunar eclipse will take place on the late-night of November 18 and early morning of November 19 at 6:02 am UTC, which will be most visible in North America, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Those residing in New York will be able to see the Moon pass through the penumbra of Earth, an area where sunlight is obscured, at 1:02 EST. As the Moon passes through Earth's umbra during the partial lunar eclipse, the Sun will be blocked beginning at 2:18 am and reach its zenith at 4:02 am, and will end at 5:47 am.

Meanwhile, those living in Los Angeles will see the partial lunar eclipse at different and more reasonable viewing times. In LA, the penumbral lunar eclipse will begin at 10:02 pm on November 18, while the partial eclipse will begin at 11:18 pm. By November 19 at 1:02 am, the Moon will at Earth's shadow. The partial eclipse will end at 2:47 am then the penumbral eclipse will end less than two hours later at 4:03 am.

This year's last lunar eclipse will also be visible at varying degrees and time availability in some parts of Western Europe, Eastern Asia, North and South America, and Australia. But this phenomenon will not be visible in most of the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.

Why the Moon Turns Red During Lunar Eclipse?

On most nights, the Moon is illuminated by sunlight and makes it look white-gray. But during a lunar eclipse, sunlight is blocked when the Sun, Moon, and Earth briefly align.

An article in Business Insider explains that a total lunar eclipse happens when the Earth's cone-shaped shadow called the umbra obscures 100% of the Moon. During either a full or partial lunar eclipse, the Moon takes on a bloody visage due to the wavelengths dominating what people on Earth see.

To be specific, oxygen and nitrogen particles in the atmosphere are responsible for the ruddy color of the Moon during a lunar eclipse. These particles scatter blue and violet wavelengths of light, making colors of longer wavelengths, such as red, orange, and yellow linger. That is why the reddish colors dominate the view of the Moon when it is behind Earth.

NASA predicts that Earth will experience a total of 228 lunar eclipses this century from 2001 to 2100, wherein it can occur a maximum of three times a year.