Lunar eclipse how long

Although the moon won't technically pass entirely through the deepest part of Earth's shadow, or umbra, most of the lunar face will turn a vivid reddish-color. All 50 states will be able to catch the eclipse in its entirety, which peaks at a.

This will be the second and final lunar eclipse of A lunar eclipse can occur only at full moon. A total lunar eclipse can happen only when the sun, Earth and moon are perfectly lined up — anything less than perfection creates a partial lunar eclipse or no eclipse at all. Some understanding of simple celestial mechanics explains how lunar eclipses work.

Related: How lunar eclipses work infographic. Because the moon's orbit around Earth lies in a slightly different plane than Earth's orbit around the sun, perfect alignment for an eclipse doesn't occur at every full moon. A total lunar eclipse develops over time, typically a couple hours for the whole event. Here's how it works: Earth casts two shadows that fall on the moon during a lunar eclipse: The umbra is a full, dark shadow.

The penumbra is a partial outer shadow. The moon passes through these shadows in stages. The initial and final stages — when the moon is in the penumbral shadow — are not so noticeable, so the best part of an eclipse is during the middle of the event, when the moon is in the umbral shadow.

Total eclipses are a freak of cosmic happenstance. Ever since the moon formed, about 4. The setup right now is perfect: the moon is at the perfect distance for Earth's shadow to cover the moon totally, but just barely. Billions of years from now, that won't be the case. According to NASA, two to four solar eclipses occur each year, while lunar eclipses are less frequent.

The moon won't be covered all the way, though, as at the point of greatest eclipse there will still be a region near the bottom of the moon or top of the moon, if you are viewing through many kinds of telescopes that is in full sunlight.

Depending on where you are located, you may not be able to see all of the eclipse. The entire sequence is visible for most of North and Central America, along with the far east of Asia, although extreme eastern regions of the Americas may only be able to view the eclipse before the moon exits the umbral phase. South America will see most of the eclipse before moonset. Europe and western Africa will see some of the beginning of the eclipse, and central Asia along with the southern Pacific and Australia will see some of the eclipse around moonrise.

You can find more details about your region at the NASA website. A lunar eclipse requires no special equipment to view. Unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse is perfectly safe to look at with your eyes. If you want to get a closer look at the "bite" the Earth is taking out of the moon, you can use binoculars or a small telescope.

A telescope, especially, will allow you to look at craters on the moon. Given that November is a cold time of year in more northern regions, make sure to dress warmly. Bring any equipment outside at least half an hour before you expect to use it, to avoid any condensation problems. Make sure that all batteries are well-charged. We highly recommended extra battery packs if you are in an especially frigid region, as the cold will drain your equipment capacity quickly.

Eclipse watchers can see the Moon turn red when the eclipse reaches totality. Watch it LIVE! Three of these eclipses are total, while the November , , is a deep partial eclipse. So deep that it is almost a total eclipse. The astronomical term for this type of alignment is syzygy , which comes from the Greek word for being paired together.

The Moon does not have its own light but shines because its surface reflects the Sun's rays. During a total lunar eclipse, the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon and blocks any direct sunlight from reaching the Moon. The Sun casts the Earth's shadow on the Moon's surface.

Types of Eclipses. For a lunar eclipse to occur, the Sun, Earth, and Moon must be roughly aligned in a line. Otherwise, the Earth cannot cast a shadow on the Moon's surface and an eclipse cannot take place. Please email us images at community livescience. Please include your name, location and a few details about your viewing experience that we can share in the caption.

Ben Turner is a U. He covers physics and astronomy, among other topics like weird animals and climate change. He graduated from University College London with a degree in particle physics before training as a journalist. When he's not writing, Ben enjoys reading literature, playing the guitar and embarrassing himself with chess. Live Science.