Longest partial lunar eclipse in centuries to be visible in Melbourne on Friday night

The longest partial lunar eclipse in 600 years will be visible from Melbourne on Friday night.

The eclipse will be visible in regions in North and South America, Australia, North/West Africa, Pacific, Atlantic and parts of Europe and Asia.

It will be the longest partial eclipse since the 15th century.

According to NASA, a lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, earth and moon align, causing the moon to pass into the earth’s shadow.

During a partial lunar eclipse, the earth’s shadow only covers a part of the moon.

The partial eclipse will be visible in Melbourne will begin at 8.09pm on Friday, hitting its maximum at 8.12pm and ending at 11.03pm, giving it an expected duration of 2 hours and 54 minutes.

The moment the partial eclipse reaches its greatest magnitude may not be able to be seen, as the moon will be below the horizon at that time.

People are recommended to go to a high viewing point to watch the eclipse for the best view.

Source: 9news.com.au