Lunar Eclipse 2020: Sunday, July 5 is significant as lunar eclipse or Chandra Grahan and Guru Purnima take place on the same day. This lunar eclipse will be a penumbral eclipse and most of us may not be able to see as the moon will be below the horizon. The significance of this lunar eclipse will be even more as it coincides with the full Buck Moon also known as the Thunder Moon.
A penumbral lunar eclipse takes place when the Sun, Earth, and the Moon are imperfectly aligned and the Earth blocks the Sun's light from reaching the Moon. There are three kinds of lunar eclipse - total, partial and penumbral.
Lunar eclipse: Time and date
The Chandra Grahan on Sunday will take place during the day. Here are the timings as per timedate.com
Penumbral Eclipse starts on July 5, 8:37 am
Maximum Eclipse at 9:59 am
Penumbral Eclipse ends at 11:22 am
For generations, eclipses have inspired awe and fear among many people. In olden times, people considered eclipses as some kind of an aberration. People prayed for hours, did not eat food during the eclipse. In India, there is a common tradition of taking a dip in the river after the eclipse is over.
Scientists have dispelled the myths and fear surrounding eclipses. Planets, moons, asteroids and meteors are moving all the time and there is no need to be scared, or stall activities during cosmic events. But it is important that you do not watch eclipse with the naked eye. There are special glasses to witnesses solar or lunar eclipses.