Lunar Eclipse Friday Morning

news image
Top Stories
18 Nov 2021 8:00 PM
Set your alarms now, the frost moon will be tuning red on Friday morning! You'll have to stay up late, or get up early, but the moon will be putting on a show for all of North America during the pre-dawn hours of November 17th, with the peak around 4:00 am EST. https://youtu.be/9EOy6uX6Gm4

Almost total eclipse

[embed]https://moon.nasa.gov/system/video_items/117_eclipse_202111_umbra_1080p30.mp4[/embed] Video credit: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio This eclipse will not be a "total" eclipse, but it will be very close. During a lunar eclipse, the moon passes through one or two sections of earth's shadow, called the penumbra and the umbra. During a total eclipse, the moon is completely covered by the darkest portion of the shadow, the umbra. This Friday, around 99.1% of the Moon will be within Earth’s umbra, leaving all but a tiny sliver covered. Even though it won't be a total eclipse, the familiar red hue created by the umbra should still be visible around the lead up to the peak.

When to Watch

Unless you have 6 hours to kill, you'll probably just want to watch around the time of totality. On the East Coast, expect the greatest extend of the eclipse to occur just after 4:00 am, while on the West Coast, this will occur just after 1:00 am. NASA posted the following table of times for the event, which you can access here.

Where to look:

Image credit: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio Timing for this lunar eclipse will be great for all of the the North American continent. Those farther east will have to look toward the western horizon, so if your view to the west is blocked by trees or terrain, you may have to move a bit to catch the red color during the greatest extent. The moon should be high enough in the sky for Mountain and Pacific time zones to see without issue. The NASA graphic above shows where the eclipse is visible (areas not in the shaded region).

How to Photograph

Your phone may not be the best option, since a digital zoom will lower the quality of the photo on most phones. If you don't have an optical zoom, use your phone's night mode. If you have a camera with manual settings, taking an exposure several seconds long will help bring out the red color of the eclipse, though it will wash out the sliver of the moon that will still be uncovered. Use a tripod or find an object that will steady your camera, bring the ISO up to 800 or higher, and shoot! Depending on the amount of the moon covered, you may need to extend the exposure period.
All Weather News
More
Active Pattern Developing Across the Central U.S. This Week

Active Pattern Developing Across the Central U.S. This Week

Temperatures have been hot in the south-centr

19 Nov 2025 4:00 PM
Four Corners Expecting More Flooding Rain, Mountain Snow

Four Corners Expecting More Flooding Rain, Mountain Snow

Cut-off low pressure has been slowly moving o

19 Nov 2025 4:00 PM
Record Heat Continues This Week

Record Heat Continues This Week

Another November day in the south and another

19 Nov 2025 3:55 PM
More Moisture for the West

More Moisture for the West

Intense rain and wind began impacting Califor

19 Nov 2025 11:55 AM
A Record Breaking Thanksgiving Travel Week Expected

A Record Breaking Thanksgiving Travel Week Expected

It is that time of year again—when millions o

19 Nov 2025 11:10 AM
Hail Storms Moving Through the Ohio Valley

Hail Storms Moving Through the Ohio Valley

OHIO RIVER VALLEY - We have had multiple repo

19 Nov 2025 2:35 AM
Weekend System Brings Snow, Ice, & Storms to the Northeast

Weekend System Brings Snow, Ice, & Storms to the Northeast

OVERNIGHTWinter weather alerts remain in plac

17 Nov 2025 10:35 AM