Longest Lunar Eclipse: Maybe Blood-Red Even
Bhubaneswar: A partial lunar eclipse the world would witness as the longest lunar eclipse till date which is likely almost around 580 years on November 19, 2021. The rare phenomenon will be visible in parts of Asia, including India, North America, South America and Europe.
“A partial lunar eclipse is on the way, taking place overnight on November 18 and 19, when the Moon slips into Earth’s shadow for couple of hours. Weather permitting, the eclipse will be visible from any location where the Moon appears above the horizon during eclipse”, announced Space agency NASA. A lunar eclipse occurs when Sun, Earth and Moon aligns so that the Moon passes into Earth’s shadow. On November 19, 2021, the Moon passes into the shadow of Earth, creating a partial lunar eclipse so deep that it can reasonably be called almost total. The moon on that day is likely to appear blood-red in color because the only sunlight reaching the Moon passes through Earth’s horizon. “The more the dust or clouds in Earth’s atmosphere during eclipse, the redder the Moon will appear”, stated by NASA earlier.
Lunar eclipse will occur at 12:48 pm and end at 4:17 pm. The duration of the eclipse will be 3 hours 28 minutes 24 seconds, making it the longest in a century. In India the lunar eclipse will be visible from few areas in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. The penumbral eclipse, which occurs when the Sun, Earth and Moon are imperfectly aligned which will begin at 11:32 am and end at 5:33 pm. This penumbral eclipse will be visible from UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha. Further the next Lunar eclipse will be on May 16, 2022 but will not be visible from India.