Watch the entire Beaver Moon lunar eclipse in 1 minute time-lapse

News
By Elizabeth Howell
published

It was the longest partial eclipse in 580 years.

An incredible timelapse video from Los Angeles captures the Beaver Moon during its dramatic partial eclipse Friday (Nov. 19).

Taken from the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, the video shows the moon gradually growing darker and then at its peak (which appears to be through haze), turning a slight red. 

The Beaver Moon lunar eclipse saw the moon 97% covered by Earth's shadow at its peak at 4:02 am EST (9:02 GMT), and was potentially visible to millions of stargazers across North America, Central and South America, as well as parts of Australia, Europe and Asia. 

Video: Watch the entire Beaver Moon lunar eclipse in 1 minute time-lapse
Related: Beaver Moon lunar eclipse 2021: Amazing photos of the longest partial moon eclipse in 580 years

This diagram shows the stages of the partial lunar eclipse on Nov. 18-19, 2021. (Image credit: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio)

Even though it wasn't a true "blood moon," or total eclipse, the moon was deep enough in the Earth's darker shadow (the umbra) and turned red due to the refraction of light in our planet's atmosphere.

But as you can see in the video, the red only was visible for part of the event. The full moon first entered Earth's penumbral (its outer, fainter shadow) at 1:02 am EST (6:02 GMT), and the umbral phase began about an hour and fifteen minutes later, when the moon started to noticeably darken at its southern limb.

If you're looking to photograph the moon or prepare for the next lunar eclipse, consider our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography. You can also check out our guide on how to photograph a lunar eclipse, as well as how to photograph the moon with a camera.

The next eclipse of the moon will be a total lunar eclipse on May 16, 2022. It will be best visible from South America and the U.S. and Canadian northeast. 

Editor's Note: If you snap an amazing night sky picture and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photos, comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

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Elizabeth Howell
Elizabeth Howell
Staff Writer, Spaceflight

Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science at several institutions since 2015; her experience includes developing and teaching an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College (with Indigenous content as well) to more than 1,000 students since 2020. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace