"Rare" Lunar Eclipse Wednesday—Longest in a Decade

Eclipse to last nearly two hours and should be especially dark.

Sky-watchers across most of the Eastern Hemisphere will be able to watch the lunar disc turn stunning shades of orange and red as the moon becomes engulfed within the darkest part of Earth's shadow for almost two hours.

"The path that the moon is taking through Earth's shadow is almost directly through [the shadow's] center, making for the longest possible path and so the longest duration," said Ben Burress, staff astronomer at the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, California.

"The last eclipse that was as long as this one was in 2000, while the next won't be until 2018, so this makes it a somewhat rare event."

(Also see: "Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse—First in 372 Years.")

Because of the tilt

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