Cher and Nicholas Cage starred in Moonstruck, a 1987 film directed by Norman Jewison
Nov. 18. Stay up late tonight — into the wee hours of tomorrow — and you can see the longest partial lunar eclipse in hundreds of years.
Weather permitting, of course. (See below.)
A “nearly total” lunar eclipse is expected overnight Nov. 18 to Nov. 19, according to NASA.
The moon will be so close to opposite the sun on Nov. 19 that it will pass through the southern part of the shadow of the Earth for a nearly total lunar eclipse, NASA said on its website.
99 percent
Only a small sliver of the moon will be visible during the eclipse. About 99 percent of the moon will disappear into Earth’s shadow as the sun and moon pass through opposite sides of the planet, NASA reported.
The moon should appear to be a reddish-brown color as it slips into the shadow.
Watch it in 28031
For Cornelius, timeanddate.com calculates the partial lunar eclipse begins Fri., Nov 19, at 1:02 am and will be at its maximum at 4:02 am. The eclipse will end at 7:03 am, but may not be visible in the twilight of morning.
It will be the longest partial lunar eclipse since the 15th century, lasting about 6 hours and 2 minutes, NASA reports.
Courtesy nasa.gov
Unusually Long
For a non-total lunar eclipse — a lunar eclipse that only has penumbral and partial phases—this is an unusually long duration, timeanddate.com reports on its website.
It’s been a while
The last time a partial lunar eclipse was this long was on Feb.18, 1440. That was around the time the Incas were building the city of Machu Picchu in South America.
The next time a partial lunar eclipse reaches this overall length will be on Feb. 8, 2669.
This moon by other names
The Maine Farmers’ Almanac began publishing Native American names for full moons in the 1930s. Over time these names have become widely known and used. According to this almanac, as the full moon in November, this is the Beaver Moon, the Frost or Frosty Moon, or the Snow Moon.
Weather outlook
The National Weather Service is saying tonight in Cornelius will be “mostly cloudy, then gradual clearing toward daybreak, with a low around 38.” Maybe the timing will be totally lunar.
Lunar serenade
Do you have a favorite moon related song? Add these tunes to your lunar playlist, “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler and “That’s Amore” by Dean Martin.
