PHOTOS: The historic partial lunar eclipse around the world

VPM | By Deepa Shivaram and Michele Abercrombie

Published November 19, 2021 at 2:45 PM EST

Updated April 20, 2023

The earth's shadow covers the full moon during a partial lunar eclipse as it sets beyond city hall, Friday, Nov. 19, in downtown Kansas City, Mo.

The last lunar eclipse of the year took place overnight into Friday morning and was visible in several parts of the world. The moon almost entirely passed into the earth’s shadow and was illuminated by the sun, casting a reddish glow. Because it was 99.1% of the moon, and not the whole moon, it’s considered a partial lunar eclipse.

This lunar event made history, too: NASA predicted the eclipse would last about three and a half hours, making it the longest partial lunar eclipse in 580 years.

If you didn’t catch a glimpse this morning, the next total lunar eclipse will take place May 15-16, 2022. The Holcomb Observatory at Butler University in Indiana says the East Coast of the U.S. and the entire Americas will have the best view.

A view of Zolotoy Bridge during a partial lunar eclipse visible over the bay of Zolotoy Rog in Russia. Yuri Smityuk / TASS

The moon, with a partial lunar eclipse, is seen behind the writing E Pluribus Unum, latin for "Out of many, one" on the Statue of Freedom at the top of the dome on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Nov. 19. — The moon, with a partial lunar eclipse, is seen behind the writing E Pluribus Unum, latin for “Out of many, one” on the Statue of Freedom at the top of the dome on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Nov. 19. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP via Getty Images

People look on by a telescope as people gather to observe a lunar eclipse from the observation deck of Roppongi Hills in Tokyo on Nov. 19. Philip Fong / AFP via Getty Images

A partial lunar eclipse is seen behind a crane in Manila, Philippines on Friday. Aaron Favila / AP

The moon shines though clouds as people sit inside a rocket ship-themed playground tower before a lunar eclipse on Nov. 18 in Torrance, California. Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images

The leaves of a tree are seen with a partial lunar eclipse as a backdrop, Friday, Nov. 19, in Lutherville-Timonium, Md. Julio Cortez / AP

The earth's shadow covers the full moon during a partial lunar eclipse visible near a statue of George Washington atop Baltimore's Washington Monument, on Friday in Baltimore. — The earth’s shadow covers the full moon during a partial lunar eclipse visible near a statue of George Washington atop Baltimore’s Washington Monument, on Friday in Baltimore. Julio Cortez / AP

A partial lunar eclipse is seen in the sky above Qingzhou City, East China's Shandong Province. — A partial lunar eclipse is seen in the sky above Qingzhou City, East China’s Shandong Province. Wang Jilin / Costfoto/Barcroft Media via Getty Images

The moon is seen during a lunar eclipse in Phnom Penh on Nov. 19. Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP via Getty Images

Tags

NPR News NPR News

Deepa Shivaram

Deepa Shivaram is a multi-platform political reporter on NPR's Washington Desk.

She joined NPR as a digital reporter in 2021, covering domestic and international breaking news, and reported on stories about climate change, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's resignation, the Afghan refugee crisis, the Tokyo Olympic games and Asian American representation on screen.

Since joining the Washington Desk, she's covered the midterm elections, the Biden administration and issues like the immigration debates around Title 42 and the leaked Supreme Court opinion on Roe v. Wade.

Prior to NPR, Shivaram was a political reporter and campaign embed at NBC News where she followed Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren during the 2020 primary elections, and covered Harris again when she was tapped as Joe Biden's vice presidential nominee. She also previously worked as an associate producer at NBC's Sunday show, Meet the Press.

See stories by Deepa Shivaram