Longest Lunar Eclipse in 581 Years will be Visible

Friday The moon is set to disappear in the overnight hours between Thursday and Friday, astronomers say. At least most of it will.

A partial lunar eclipse is set to take place from 2:18 a.m. EST to 9:06 a.m. EST — marking the longest astronomical event of its kind in 581 years, according to officials with Chicago’s Adler Planetarium.

It’s expected to reach its maximum eclipse at 4:02 a.m. EST, they say. “At maximum eclipse, almost all of the moon is within the boundaries of the Earth’s darker umbral shadow, leaving only a thin sliver still in the Earth’s lighter penumbral shadow,” reads a statement released by the planetarium.

The spectacle should be visible to sky gazers in North America, Australia, New Zealand, eastern Asia and parts of South America, experts say.