Lunar Eclipse This Thursday Night

In the very early morning hours on Friday, there will be an almost total lunar eclipse. About 97% of the moon's surface will be in the darkest part of the Earth's shadow, called the umbra, so this eclipse will be just about as close as possible to being total without actually reaching that status. Most of the moon will still turn a dark red color, but a sliver on the edge will still be shining during the maximum eclipse about 2 a.m. MST.

This will be the longest lunar eclipse since the year 1440 or until 2669, lasting almost six hours from the moment the moon enters the Earth's outer shadow, called the penumbra, until it exits. This is due to a nearly perfect alignment of the Earth, moon, and sun, at the same time that the moon is farthest from us. When the moon is farther away, it moves a little slower and appears a little smaller, so it will take longer to move through Earth's shadow.

Partial lunar eclipse November 18-19