Full Blood Lunar Eclipse: How To Watch In NYC

NEW YORK CITY — The longest lunar eclipse this century is about to darken the full moon over New York City – if you can catch a break in the forecasted showers to view it.

The full frost moon will be eclipsed for 3 hours, 28 minutes and 23 seconds early Friday. That will make it the longest event of its type in the 21st century, according to NASA.

And in practical terms, it’s almost a total eclipse.

Usually, light from the sun paints the face of the moon a grayish-white. But when the eclipse peaks around 4 a.m. Eastern Time on the 19th, our planet will block 98 percent of the sun’s light from reaching the moon’s surface, washing it in a reddish hue.

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A partial lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes through Earth's partial shadow, or penumbra, and only a portion of it passes through the darkest shadow, or umbra.

A total or nearly total lunar eclipse often is called a “blood moon." The November full moon, with or without an eclipse, is also called the full frost moon, sometimes called a full beaver or dark moon. All were terms used by Native American tribes, which gave distinctive names to the moons to mark the season. The frost moon is the last full moon of autumn.

Although the eclipse lasts about 3½ hours from start to finish, most of the action takes place in a 2-hour span. People in all 50 states will be able to watch it. The prime time for viewing in New York City is between 2 and 4 a.m. Friday.

You don’t need any special equipment to see it. All you need to do is walk outside and look up.

If it’s cloudy or inconvenient to stay up and watch the eclipse, you can watch a livestream of it.

This month’s eclipse will be visible throughout most of North America, as well as eastern Russia, Japan, the Pacific Ocean, Mexico, Central America and parts of western South America.