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If you're somebody who loves gazing at the sky and stars, you must prepare yourself for the upcoming phenomenon. Gear up with your set of telescopes and lookout for a quiet place to witness the longest partial lunar eclipse of the century. It is going to take place on November 19. In addition, it is also the longest such eclipse in nearly 600 years. A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes into the Earth's shadow. However, according to Indiana's Holcomb Observatory, in this case, the partial eclipse phase will last for 3 hours, 28 minutes and 24 seconds, and the full eclipse for 6 hours and 1 minute, making it the longest partial eclipse in 580 years. This will also be the last lunar eclipse of the year. Skygazers will get a view of a subtly changing moon, which may even take on a reddish hue.
Here's everything you need to know about the partial lunar eclipse:
- According to NASA, the event will begin at approximately 2.19 a.m. EST (12.49 p.m. India time) on Nov 19.
- November's full moon is traditionally known as the Beaver Moon, as beavers are preparing for winter, hence this month's event's Beaver Moon eclipse moniker.
- In India, the eclipse towards the end would be visible from parts of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
- "The partial phase of the eclipse will begin at 12.48 p.m. and will end at 4.17 p.m.," the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
- Apart from these two states in India, the eclipse will be visible from western Africa, western Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Australia, the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
- According to the US space agency, the eclipse will take place in four main phases -- at 1.02 a.m. EST the moon will enter the penumbra, or the lighter part of the moon's shadow. This phase is usually hard to spot without special equipment because the darkening is so slight.
- The moon will then arrive at the umbra, or the darker part of the shadow, at 2.18 a.m. EST. For about 3.5 hours the moon will pass through the deep shadow until it exits the umbra at 5.47 a.m. The eclipse will end at 6.03 a.m. EST.
- The maximum eclipse will take place at 4.03 AM EST, when 97 per cent of the moon's face covered by the deepest part of the Earth's shadow will probably turn a deep red.
--With inputs from agencies
