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Lose some sleep. See a partial lunar eclipse in SC, the longest in 580 years

By Lyn Riddle
This image from video provided by Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles shows an impact flash on the moon, bottom left, during the lunar eclipse which started on Sunday evening, Jan. 20, 2019. Spanish astrophysicist Jose Maria Madiedo of the University of Huelva said Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019, it appears a rock from a comet slammed into the moon. (Griffith Observatory via AP)
This image from video provided by Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles shows an impact flash on the moon, bottom left, during the lunar eclipse which started on Sunday evening, Jan. 20, 2019. Spanish astrophysicist Jose Maria Madiedo of the University of Huelva said Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019, it appears a rock from a comet slammed into the moon. (Griffith Observatory via AP) AP

If you’re a sky watcher even some of the time, you might want to stay up late Thursday to see the partial lunar eclipse early Friday morning.

Meteorologists say 97% of the moon will be in darkness when the sun, Earth and moon align. The best time to watch on the East Coast begins around 2 a.m. Friday. Around 4 a.m., a sliver of the full moon will be in Earth’s dark shadow.

The sky in the Southeast should be clear, NASA said.

Viewing the lunar eclipse does not require protective eye wear.

The last time a partial eclipse of this length occurred was 1440. A total lunar eclipse took place in 2018, and it was the longest in recent history.

Some of the darkest areas of the moon could even appear red or orange around this time.

Next year, two total lunar eclipses will take place. The first will be the night of Sunday, May 15, into the early morning of Monday, May 16. On Monday, Nov. 7, and into the morning of Tuesday. Nov. 8, another lunar eclipse will take place.

This story was originally published November 17, 2021 at 12:23 PM.

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