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On Thursday and Friday, November 18 to 19, you might want to look outside. According to NASA, the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century will be visible in California and throughout North America.
The eclipse will last approximately 3 hours, 28 minutes, and 23 seconds. And according to Patch.com, it will almost be a total eclipse.
A partial lunar eclipse happens when the moon passes through Earth's partial shadow and only a portion of it passes through the darkest shadow. A total or nearly total lunar eclipse is also called a "blood moon." In addition, the November full moon, with or without an eclipse, is called the full frost moon, a full beaver, or dark moon.
Although it was last around 3 and a half hours in total, most of the action will take place within a 2-hour span.
Here's the prime viewing time according to Patch.com:
- November 18 @ 11:00 P.M. PST
- November 19 @ 1:00 A.M. PST
While you don't need any fancy equipment to see the eclipse, it might be cloudy or inconvenient for you to stay up to watch. If that's the case, you can always watch a live stream of the lunar eclipse here.