There's A Super Rare Lunar Eclipse This Week & You Could See The Moon Glow Red In Montreal

A super-rare lunar eclipse will be visible in Montreal this week and it's expected to have a "Japanese lantern effect" on the moon, with a varying reddish hue appearing from north to south over the moon's surface, according to The Weather Network (TWN).

It's also set to be one of the longest partial eclipses ever seen.

The full moon will pass through the Earth's shadow in the wee hours of the morning on November 19, causing most of it to dip into "the dusky red umbra" of the shadow, creating a partial lunar eclipse, TWN explained.

Only a thin sliver of the moon — just over 2% — will remain in the penumbra, outside of the darkest part of the Earth's shadow, so this eclipse just barely misses out on being a total lunar eclipse.

NASA's records suggest that the partial phase of this eclipse will last three hours, 28 minutes and 24 seconds, which makes it one of the longest partial lunar eclipses ever and the longest since February 18, 1440 — 581 years ago.

According to TWN, the next longer partial eclipse won't happen for 648 years in 2669!

This eclipse will be visible all across Canada but, because of the time the sun rises, parts of Eastern Quebec and Atlantic Canada will miss the final phase, after the moon has exited the umbra, which can be hard to see anyway.

The best viewing time in Montreal is between 2:18 a.m. and 5:47 a.m. with the eclipse set to reach its "maximum" at 4:02 a.m., according to this handy eclipse map that tells you exactly when all the phases will take place based on where you live.

Unlike a solar eclipse, you don't need special glasses to look up at the sky and admire the show.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.