The eclipse, which gets underway on the 19 at 1:18 AM CST, takes place during the full moon and will be visible across North America.
The Tri-State will have a front row seat the morning of Friday, November 19, when a partial lunar eclipse takes place overhead. The eclipse, which gets underway on the 19 at 1:18 AM CST, takes place during the full moon and will be visible across North America.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon moves through the shadow of the Earth. During an eclipse, the moon darkens visibly over a period of a couple of hours and then becomes fully illuminated again. During its journey around our planet, the moon skirts with the Earth’s shadow each month, passing a little above or below our spacey shadow. This particular eclipse is a partial eclipse, where the moon will
appear slightly less than one hundred percent darkened.
Lunar eclipses are surprisingly easy to view. Skywatchers should direct their attention to the moon between 1:18 to 4:47 AM on the morning of November 19, when a noticeable darkening will take place on the east side of the lunar orb. As the morning progresses, the Earth’s shadow will steadily march westward across the face of the moon leaving our moon nearly totally engulfed in shadow around 3:00 AM.
At the eclipse’s maximum extent, a slightly brighter patch of sunlight should be visible at the bottom of the moon. Binoculars or a small telescope will enhance the view. The celestial spectacle ends about two hours before sunrise.
The next eclipse involving the moon—a total lunar eclipse—will be visible in our area the evening of May 15, 2022.