According to The Weather Network, a super-rare lunar eclipse will be visible over Ottawa this week. It’s expected to have a “Japanese lantern effect” on the moon, with a varying reddish hue appearing from north to south over the moon’s surface. It’s also set to be one of the longest partial eclipses ever seen.
The full moon will pass through the Earth’s shadow in the wee hours of the morning on Friday, November 19, causing most of it to dip into “the dusky red umbra” of the shadow, creating a partial lunar eclipse. Only a thin sliver of the moon – just over 2% – will remain in the penumbra, outside of the darkest part of the Earth’s shadow, so this eclipse just barely misses out on being a total lunar eclipse.
NASA’s records suggest that the partial phase of this eclipse will last three hours, 28 minutes and 24 seconds, which makes it one of the longest partial lunar eclipses ever and the longest since February 18, 1440 – 581 years ago. And according to TWN, the next longer partial eclipse won’t happen for 648 years in 2669!
This eclipse will be visible across Canada. The best viewing time in Ottawa is between 2:18 a.m. and 5:47 a.m. with the eclipse set to reach its “maximum” at 4:02 a.m., according to this handy eclipse map that tells you exactly when all the phases will take place based on where you live.
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/map/2021-november-19
Feature image source: https://photographylife.com/landscapes/how-to-photograph-a-lunar-eclipse
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