How you can see a near total lunar eclipse on Friday morning: NPR
Jewel Samad / AFP via Getty Images
Night owls on the West Coast and early risers on the East Coast will have the best views of upcoming lunar eclipse This Friday.
Overnight, the moon will enter Earth’s shadow as the sun shines, illuminating the gray sphere with red. It will be the second and last lunar eclipse of the year.
NASA guess The lunar eclipse will last more than 3 hours and 28 minutes. That would make it the longest partial lunar eclipse in 580 years, according to Holcomb . Observatory at Butler University.
Here’s how to view the eclipse and what you can see:
How to see the eclipse
According to NASA.
For US viewers, the peak of the lunar eclipse – when the moon is most covered by Earth’s shadow – will be at 4:03 a.m. ET.
But the moon will start entering Earth’s shadow much earlier, at around 1 a.m. ET. At 2:19 a.m. ET, the moon will move into the umbra, the interior of Earth’s shadow, and begin to look like a missing passage on it. It will turn red around 3:45 a.m. ET.
To see the show, you just have to go out and take a look. A pair of binoculars or a camera with tripod can enhance your vision.
Why this is a “near total” lunar eclipse
It is true that this is not a total lunar eclipse. NASA calls it a “virtually total” eclipse.
That’s because up to 99.1% of the moon will enter the Earth’s umbra but the whole won’t.
“Partial lunar eclipse may not be as spectacular as total lunar eclipse”, NASA admit, “but they happen more often.”