Lunar eclipse October 2023: The next one will be visible from India on September 7, 2025.
A partial lunar eclipse will occur this week (on October 29), the month's second celestial event after the annular solar eclipse on October 14. According to space.com, it will be visible over parts of Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, North America, North/East South America, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Arctic and Antarctica. The Press Information Bureau (PIB) said the moon's obscuring will be visible from all places of India around midnight. Though moon will enter penumbra at midnight of October 28, the umbral phase will start in the early hour of October 29.
Also Read | Lunar Eclipse 2023: Date, Time And Other Details
The umbral phase of this eclipse will begin at 1:05am on October 29 and will end at 2:24am. The duration of the eclipse will be 1 hour 19 minutes, the government agency further said.
The next lunar eclipse that will be visible from India will occur on September 7, 2025, and it will be a total eclipse.
The last lunar eclipse, which was visible from India, was on November 8, 2022 - a total eclipse.
Unlike solar eclipses, watching the moon being shadowed by the Earth with naked eyes is perfectly safe.
In-The-Sky.org has prepared a path where the lunar eclipse will be visible. The website said that it will be visible from New Delhi in the south-western sky.
The moon will lie 62 degrees above the horizon at the moment of greatest eclipse, in-the-sky further said.
What is a lunar eclipse?
According to US space agency NASA, a lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align so that the Moon passes into Earth's shadow.
In a total lunar eclipse, the entire Moon falls within the darkest part of Earth's shadow, called the umbra. But the one occurring on October 29 will be a partial eclipse, which means the moon will be partially obscured.
During the total lunar eclipse, when the moon comes within the umbra, it usually turns reddish hue. This is why lunar eclipses are sometimes called "Blood Moons".