After 580 yrs, longest partial lunar eclipse to occur on Nov 19, to be visible in India: Check timing here
2 min read . Updated: 13 Nov 2021, 05:48 PM IST
Premium- The last time a partial lunar eclipse of such length occurred was on February 18, 1440, and the next time a similar phenomenon can be witnessed will be on February 8, 2669
Lunar eclipse 2021: The world is set to witness the longest partial lunar eclipse in 580 years next week, on 19 November. The eclipse will also be visible from North America, South America, eastern Asia, Australia, the Pacific region and parts of Northeast India.
On November 2, US space agency NASA said that a partial lunar eclipse is on the way, taking place overnight on November 18th and 19th, when the Moon slips into Earth's shadow for a couple of hours.
"Weather permitting, the eclipse will be visible from any location where the Moon appears above the horizon during the eclipse. Depending on your time zone, it'll occur earlier or later in the evening for you," it said.
In India, 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.
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.
A few areas in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam will experience the last fleeting moments of the partial eclipse just after the moonrise, very close to the eastern horizon, the astrophysicist said.
The last time a partial lunar eclipse of such length occurred was on February 18, 1440, and the next time a similar phenomenon can be witnessed will be on February 8, 2669, he told the news agency.
The maximum partial eclipse will be visible at 2.34 pm as 97% of the moon will be covered by the Earth's shadow. The moon is likely to appear blood-red in colour, which happens when the red beams of the sunlight pass through the Earth's atmosphere and get least deflected and fall on the moon.
The penumbral eclipse, which occurs when the sun, earth, and the moon are imperfectly aligned, will begin at 11.32 am and end at 5.33 pm.
The penumbral eclipse will be visible from UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha but it can be seen only briefly from these places, he said, adding that a penumbral eclipse is not as spectacular and dramatic as the partial eclipse and sometimes does not even get noticed.
The last lunar eclipse was on July 27, 2018. The next lunar eclipse 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.
(With inputs from PTI)
