Bhubaneswar: Sky-gazers, note down the date.
The longest partial lunar eclipse in 580 years will occur on November 19 and will be visible from parts of Northeast India. It’s the last lunar eclipse of the year.
The rare phenomenon will be visible from a few areas in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, Director of Research and Academic at MP Birla Planetarium Debiprosad Duari told PTI.
“From India, just after moonrise, ending of partial phase of the eclipse will be visible for a very short span of time from extreme northeastern parts of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam,” according to a Press Information Bureau (PIB) release.
The partial eclipse will start at 12.48 pm and end at 4.17 pm.
The duration of the eclipse will be 3 hours 28 minutes and 24 seconds, making it the longest in 580 years, Duari said.
The maximum partial eclipse will be visible at 2.34 pm as 97 per cent of the moon will be covered by the Earth’s shadow.
Last time, such a long partial eclipse occurred was on February 18, 1440. Next time, a similar one will occur on February 8, 2669.
The last lunar eclipse was on July 27, 2018. The next will be on May 16, 2022 but it will not be visible from India.
The next lunar eclipse to be visible from India will be on November 8, 2022.
The partial lunar eclipse will be visible from North America, South America, eastern Asia, Australia and the Pacific region.
The moon will appear blood-red in colour. November’s full moon is traditionally known as the Beaver Moon, as beavers are preparing for winter. So, the event has been named Beaver Moon eclipse.
But the penumbral eclipse will be visible from UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha. A penumbral eclipse is not as spectacular and dramatic as the partial eclipse and sometimes does not even get noticed, Duari said.
