The partial lunar eclipse will be seen on July 17 in India. Just as its name says, in this eclipse, the shadow of Earth covers only a small section of the Moon as a result of which the Moon will appear dark. Also, it will be the last lunar eclipse to occur in 2019 and can be seen in most of Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, and Australia.
Interestingly, the timing of this lunar eclipse is coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 mission’s launch that landed humans on the Moon for the first time.
Here are some more interesting facts that you should know:
- In India, people from the western and central region will be able to see the entire eclipse all through whereas those in the eastern region will be able to see the partial lunar eclipse at moonset time.
- The intensity of the eclipse will be highest at around 3 am IST when the largest portion of the moon will be covered by the Earth.
- The eclipse will come to an end at around 4.29 am IST when the Moon will slowly come out of the umbra region.
- The entire duration of the eclipse will be 2 hours, 57 minutes and 56 seconds.
- The penumbral magnitude of this partial lunar eclipse will be 1.7037 and its umbral magnitude will be 0.653.
- The eclipse map released by NASA reveals that the eclipse will not be visible in Greenland and North America.
Why Is This Lunar Eclipse So Special For Indians?
The partial eclipse is very special for Indians as it is coinciding with Guru Purnima after 149 years. According to astrology, this happening has a lot of significance. For the first time in 149 years, Indians will experience a celebration of Guru Purnima and the occurrence of partial lunar eclipse together.
Unlike Solar eclipse that can be seen from very few places on Earth, lunar eclipses are usually visible from larger parts of the world. Also, it is unsafe to look at Solar eclipse with the naked eye however when it comes to lunar eclipse there are no such restrictions. People in India can enjoy this celestial phenomenon in the midnight. However, there are chances of monsoon clouds obstructing the clear viewing of the eclipse.
