All about the blood micromoon, the longest partial lunar eclipse

All those present in New Zealand will be treated to a spectacle which has not been seen in over 800 years. On Friday, the longest partial lunar eclipse visible in the nation since the year 1212 will be witnessed. It is set to begin at 8:20 pm NZT and is expected to be over a little after 10 pm.

Blood micromoon: New Zealand to enjoy longest near-total lunar eclipse in 800 years

It is a rare event because a partial eclipse is not seen often, moreover the moon’s positioning in its orbit is also a rarity. The moon is at its apogee, the farthest point from Earth in its orbit.

It will differ from the supermoon because of the difference in the moon’s position with respect to Earth. In a supermoon the Moon is at the closest point from the earth while in a micro-moon it is at the farthest point.

Astronomers are urging the general public to witness the event of the ‘blood micro-moon’ because it will provide intriguing and different lunar spectacles. It will not be the same as the rare blood supermoon which was witnessed earlier this year.

Where will the phenomenon be visible?

People present in various regions of the globe will be able to witness the event. The phenomenon will be visible in North America, eastern Australia, New Zealand and Japan. 

The best view will be visible at the peak of the partial eclipse which is expected to occur at 4:03 AM EDT on November 19. 

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Around 97% of the moon’s face will be covered in the Earth’s shadow (in a total eclipse the face of the moon is completely covered) and the shadowed area will turn red.

It is rare to see the red tint in a partial eclipse, but Friday’s eclipse will be very close to being a total one.

The red colour is visible due to the way sunlight bends and scatters while passing through Earth’s atmosphere. During a lunar eclipse the Earth blocks the Sun’s light and only heavily filtered reddish light reaches the moon.

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May’s eclipse lasted for over 14 minutes whereas the one occurring on Friday will last for  three hours and 28 minutes.

It is a perfect opportunity for the Kiwis to witness the phenomenon with their families at an ideal time. This is because out of the 13 eclipses which will be seen in the country in the next 20 years, seven will be in the early morning hours and four will take place around midnight.