In pictures: Longest partial lunar eclipse dazzles night skies

The longest partial lunar eclipse in 580 years dazzled night skies around the globe on Friday.

According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the eclipse that lasted 3 hours, 28 minutes and 23 seconds was the longest since February 18, 1440.

During the eclipse, up to 99.1% of the moon’s disk was within Earth’s darkest shadow, it said.

The partial eclipse was seen in parts of the United States (US), Asia and South America.

Lunar eclipses occur when the earth moves between the sun and the moon, casting its shadow on the moon.

However, partial lunar eclipse happens when the three celestial bodies are not perfectly aligned. Therefore, the earth only shadows a part of the moon, and not the entire body.

According to NASA, this century will experience a total of 228 lunar eclipses with a maximum of three lunar eclipses a year.

The first lunar eclipse of 2021 happened on May 26 when the super blood moon was viewed. Friday’s partial lunar eclipse was the second and the last lunar eclipse for this year.