In pics: Amazing images of the longest partial lunar eclipse in 580 years

New Delhi, Nov 19: The longest partial lunar eclipse of the century was visible in India and across the world. The eclipse involved the Earth's shadow covering about 97 percent of the full Moon.

The eclipse began at 12:48 pm IST and end at 4:17 pm.. This occurrence takes place when the Sun, Earth and Moon will come into alignment forming a partial lunar eclipse.

Let us have a look at the photos of the Beaver Moon lunar eclipse shot by skywatchers across the globe.

Lunar eclipse sets beyond US flag

The earth's shadow covers the full moon during a partial lunar eclipse as it sets beyond the U.S. flag on top of a building, Friday. Image credit: PTI

What is a partial lunar eclipse?

For a partial lunar eclipse to take place, the condition required is a full Moon aligned in a straight line with the Sun and Earth. A partial Lunar Eclipse would not take place on every full Moon. This is because a lunar body is inclined on its orbital plane at an angle of five degrees to the Earth's orbital plane around the Sun. The world would witness the longest partial lunar eclipse spanning over 6 hours on November 19.

Image credit:@nickwnyc_

Why November 19 eclipse is the longest lunar eclipse?

The reason why this Lunar Eclipse is so long is because it comes 41 hours after the Moon reaches apogee, which is its farthest point from the Earth. The farther away the moon is, the longer it takes to travel along. This results in more time to move out of the Earth's shadow.

Image credit:@AstroNameHere

Why November 19 lunar eclipse is so special?

The November 19 Lunar Eclipse will sustain its record for another 4,000 years. The next six hour Lunar Eclipse will take place next on October 9 2489. The last time there was such a long lunar eclipse was on November 9 2003. It spanned for six hours and three minutes. However it was a full and not a partial lunar eclipse.

Image credit:@brianemfinger

When is next Lunar eclipse?

According to NASA, Friday's eclipse is a long eclipse for two main reasons: 1) The Moon's orbital speed and 2) The near-totality of the eclipse. Image credit:@MaxTsaparis