So you can see tonight the longest almost total lunar eclipse in almost 600 years

The longest partial lunar eclipse in nearly 600 years of history will be seen in the early hours of Thursday through Friday across the country, weather permitting.

It is expected to last almost three and a half hours and at its peak the satellite will be 97% covered by the shadow of the Earth, so that only the lower left will be illuminated.

The eclipse can be seen in North and South America, East Asia, Australia and the Pacific region.

A lunar eclipse is seen inside Turret Arch in Arches National Park, near Moab, Utah, on December 10, 2011. Julie Jacobson / AP

What time can I see it?

For East Coast watchers, the eclipse will begin a little after 2:00 a.m. local time and will peak at 4:00 a.m.

For West Coast observers, it will start after 11:00 p.m., with the peak at 1:00 a.m., NASA reported.

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You can see when the lunar eclipse will start and end in your area and what it will look like at certain times at the timeanddate.com website, Shannon Schmoll, director of the Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University, told The Wall Street Journal. 

What is a partial lunar eclipse?

A lunar eclipse occurs when the

in space in what is known as syzygy, according to the American Astronomical Society.

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The Moon gradually slides into Earth's shadow until most of the lunar disk turns from silvery gray to faint orange or red.

Then everything happens in reverse order until the moon shines completely again.

Native Americans often

refer to

the November full moon as the

referring to when these animals prepare for winter with traps, according to NASA. 

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The Moon, once eclipsed, is also sometimes called a

because of its reddish or rusty hue.

NASA noted that this will be the last lunar eclipse of the year and that there will be two total lunar eclipses visible over most of the United States in 2022, one in May and one in November.

Do I need special equipment to see it?

Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses can be seen with the naked eye.

"You just have to go outside and look at the moon," said Schmoll.