Alabama to see the longest partial lunar eclipse in nearly 600 years

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Get ready for a spectacular astronomical event later this week. The longest partial lunar eclipse this century will occur Thursday night into early Friday morning, and it will be visible in its entirety in Alabama.

While technically not a total lunar eclipse, it’s not far from it. More than 97% of the moon will be in Earth’s dark umbral shadow at maximum eclipse.

For Alabama, that will occur at 3:02 a.m. That is the time you’ll want to be outside looking low in the western sky if you’re hoping for the best image of the eclipse. It’s around that time that the moon will take on a reddish color.

But that’s just the peak of the eclipse! The entirety of the eclipse will last about six hours, with the moon’s pass through the darkest shadow of Earth taking more than 3 hours and 28 minutes.

Those numbers make Friday morning’s eclipse the longest in 580 years and the longest this century!

Here’s how the event will play out in Alabama:

• Phase 1 (12:02 am): The moon enters Earth’s outer shadow, or the penumbra. You won’t notice much change with this part of the eclipse until the moon is nearly entirely within the penumbra.
• Phase 2 (1:18 am): The moon enters Earth’s dark shadow, or the umbra. This is when the partial lunar eclipse officially begins. The changes you see here will be much more dramatic and noticeable. The moon becomes dark and eventually takes on a reddish hue, substantially more stars will become visible and the overall appearance outside is darker.
• Phase 3: (3:02 am): The moon is in the center of Earth’s darkest shade, marking the maximum point of the eclipse. The moon will have a reddish color and it will be as dark as it gets during the event.
• Phase 4: (4:47 am): The partial eclipse ends as the moon continues moving eastward and leaves the umbra.
• Phase 5: (6:03 am): The penumbral eclipse ends as the moon is no longer in Earth’s shadow. Once the moon leaves Earth’s shadow it will appear as bright as ever before setting at 6:29 am.

As is the case with all astronomical events, Mother Nature has the final say on whether or not we will be able to see them. Fortunately, this event will be visible for most Alabamians thanks to the cloud cover eroding as Thursday night progresses.

Most forecast models suggest cloud coverage in the 20-40% range. As a result, many across Alabama and adjacent states should get a great show as the moon traverses Earth’s darkest shadow.

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