Bhubaneswar: Skywatchers are gearing up for the total lunar eclipse on the intervening night of January 20 and 21. Also called by some as Super Blood Wolf Moon, the Earth’s natural satellite adorns a striking shade of red during the spectacular event.
Odisha Bytes spoke to Deputy Director of Pathani Samanta Planetarium, Bhubaneswar, Dr Subhendu Pattnai to know more about this unusual celestial phenomenon.
A ‘super moon’ occurs when the moon is especially close to earth, while a ‘wolf moon’ is the traditional name for the full moon of January, when the howling of wolves was a sound that helped define winter.
Lunar eclipses occur when Earth’s shadow blocks the sun’s light, which otherwise reflects off the moon. There are three types-total, partial and penumbral-with the most dramatic being a total lunar eclipse, in which Earth’s shadow completely covers the moon.
2019’s First Lunar Eclipses’ Timing
The total lunar eclipse will take place on January 20-21, 2019. It will start at 7.34 pm Pacific Standard Time on January 20 and last till 10.50 pm PST and this includes partial and total eclipse.
The peak eclipse will start at 8.41 pm PST and end at 9.43 pm PST.
For India, this comes to 10.11 am on the morning of January 21 and ends at 11.13 am IST.
Where Will Lunar Eclipse 2019 Be Visible?
If the skies are clear the eclipse will be visible across countries, including North America, South America, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Britain, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, France and Spain.
The rest of Europe and Africa will also get a glimpse of the Super Blood Wolf Moon.
However, it will not be visible to people in India and other Asian countries.
How long will the total lunar eclipse last?
The total lunar eclipse, which is also being called as a Super Blood Wolf Moon, will last around one hour and two minutes. This is peak eclipse or the greatest eclipse period, which is when Moon comes closest to the axis of Earth’s shadow.
How We Can Watch Lunar Eclipse 2019?
It will not visible in any part of India.
