An “almost total” lunar eclipse will take place next night … but will be impossible to observe from Europ – Franceinfo

North America and much of South America will be able to see a lunar eclipse “almost total”, according to NASA, on the night of Thursday 18 to Friday 19 November, the longest of its kind since the year 1440. The eclipse, at the height of which 99.1% of the visible surface of the Moon will be masked, will also be visible from parts of Northeast Asia, Polynesia and eastern Australia. But it will not be possible to admire it from Europe or Africa, NASA specifies (in English) on its website dedicated to the Moon.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned. Our natural satellite is then found in the shadow of the Earth, which hides it from our view. If the alignment is not perfect, the eclipse is not total. The eclipse of November 19 may be only partial, it will last a total of 3 hours, 28 minutes and 23 seconds. It will be the longest since that of February 18, 1440, which lasted 23 seconds longer.

The eclipse will begin at 7:19 a.m. GMT (8:19 a.m. in Paris) when the Moon enters Earth’s shadow. For terrestrial observers, the lunar disk will give the impression of being slowly nibbled away. At 8:45 am GMT, more than 95% of the lunar disk will be in shadow and the Moon will take on a reddish hue as the Earth’s atmosphere deflects red rays of sunlight into the interior of its shadow cone. This phenomenon will be most visible during the peak of the eclipse at 9:03 GMT. And at 10:47 GMT, the Moon will again be visible in its entirety.

According to NASA, it will be necessary to wait until February 8, 2669 to witness a partial eclipse lasting longer (3 hours 30 minutes) than that of Friday but a total eclipse is expected in less than a year, on November 8, 2022, and will last 3 hours 40 minutes in total. The spectacle can be seen with the naked eye without any danger, unlike solar eclipses. Binoculars, glasses and telescopes will allow you to enjoy it even more, provided the sky is clear enough.