Long 6-Hour, Once-in-a-Lifetime Red Lunar Eclipse Arrives Overnight

Partial eclipse began just after midnight with subtle dimming and peaked at about 3 a.m. before ending just after 6 a.m. Friday

By Rick Mitchell • •

NBCUniversal, Inc.

NBC 5 Meteorologist Samantha Davies explains the significance of the historic partial lunar eclipse that was clearly visible over North Texas early Friday morning.

A long lunar eclipse that bathed the moon in red light was visible in all of North Texas for several hours Friday morning.

ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images
The moon, with a partial lunar eclipse, is seen behind the Statue of Freedom on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
The Beaver Moon turns red as it is in 97% shadow during the partial lunar eclipse in New York City.
PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images
The moon shines though clouds as people sit inside a rocket ship-themed playground tower before the lunar eclipse, in Torrance, California.
Gary Hershorn/Getty Images
The Beaver Moon turned red during a partial lunar eclipse over the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.
The moon, with a partial lunar eclipse, is seen behind the Statue of Freedom on the dome of Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The longest partial lunar eclipse in nearly 600 years bathed the moon in red and was visible for a big slice of humanity. The celestial show saw the lunar disc almost completely cast in shadow as it moved behind the Earth, reddening 99% of its face.
Gary Hershorn/Getty Images
The Beaver Moon turned red during a partial lunar eclipse over the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.
Gary Hershorn/Getty Images
The Beaver Moon turned red during a partial lunar eclipse over the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.
Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Partial Lunar eclipse, the longest in 580 years, as observed in Charlotte, N.C.
Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A partial lunar eclipse behind the Statue of Freedom on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The partial Lunar eclipse, the longest in 580 years, as observed in Charlotte, N.C.
Yuki IWAMURA / AFP via Getty Images
The moon is seen during a lunar eclipse behind the One World Trade Center in New York.
un/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
KENOSHA, WISCONSIN – NOVEMBER 19: Partial Lunar Eclipse observed on November 19, 2021 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

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During the eclipse, NASA reported up to 99.1% of the moon would be in the shadow of the Earth, so it's not considered a total eclipse, but it's close.

North American night owls were treated to a celestial spectacle this morning as a partial lunar eclipse filled the sky.
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It was the longest partial lunar eclipse in 580 years (since 1440), lasting just over six hours from roughly midnight to 6 a.m.; another lunar eclipse this long isn't expected for 648 years (in 2669).

So, this was literally a once-in-a-lifetime lunar eclipse.

It began at 12:02 a.m. CT when the moon enters the Earth's penumbra.

Think of the penumbra as a slight shadow cast by the Earth. During this phase, the moon dims a bit at first and the eclipse isn't all that noticeable.

The most noticeable part of an eclipse is when the moon enters the umbra or the thicker part of the Earth's shadow. This began at 1:19 a.m. and lasted until 4:47 a.m. 

During this time, the moon shows a deep red appearance as blue light is scattered after traveling through the Earth's atmosphere leaving only red light hitting the moon. The more dust or clouds in Earth's atmosphere at this time will cause the moon to appear even redder.

The best time to view the moon bathed in red light was between 2:45 a.m. and 3:20 a.m. The peak of the partial eclipse occurred at 3:02 a.m.

At 4:47 a.m. the moon passed out of the Earth's umbra. At 6:04 a.m., more than six hours after first entering the penumbra, the eclipse ends.

Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are safe to view with the naked eye.

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