Longest partial eclipse in centuries can be seen by the naked eye Friday for earlier risers

Sudbury -

Officials in Sudbury say that telescopes and binoculars won’t be needed to get a glimpse of one of the longest partial lunar eclipses in centuries.

On Friday, a partial lunar eclipse is expected to be seen from the comfort of your own backyard, as long as Mother Nature cooperates.

“As it’s nearing the most of the totality that it will do, the most shadowing that will happen from the Earth, it will appear darker and perhaps even an orangey shade,” said Linda Pulliah, outreach coordinator for the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Sudbury branch.

“Or even right down to a dark brick red kind of shade and that’s not predictable, just how dark or bright it will be, and then it will lighten up again.”

Pulliah said since it isn’t a total eclipse, the entire moon will not change colours.

“We’re not going to be totally eclipsed,” she said. “So even when they look up around 4 o’clock at the point of maximum totality for what we’re going to have, or maximum eclipsing, there will be a sliver of bright white.”

On average, lunar eclipses happen twice a year, but they often are hard to see. Pulliah said it’s always exciting when they can be seen by the naked eye.

“They don’t need to look through a telescope, they don’t need any special optical aids, the naked eye – unaided eye -- is perfectly safe and fine to view and eclipse," she said. "So young and old alike can enjoy it.”

According to NASA, Friday will be the longest partial eclipse in the 21st century and officials at the Holcomb Observatory at Butler University in Indiana said it’s the longest partial lunar eclipse in 580 years.

Pulliah said the group will be livestreaming Friday’s event from 2 a.m. until 6 a.m. People will have the option to watch in real-time, or replay the video afterward on the website.