This year's first lunar eclipse, a stunning astronomical event where the moon dips into Earth's shadow, coincides with Holi, one of India's biggest festivals. The lunar eclipse expected to occur on March 25, will be a Penumbral lunar eclipse. The night sky will darken for a short time as the moon passes through the shadow, but it falls on the same day as the vibrant celebration of Holi, the festival of colours.
Timing of Lunar Eclipse 2024
According to Space.com, the penumbral lunar eclipse will begin at 10:24 AM Indian Standard Time (IST), reach its maximum at 12:43 PM IST, and conclude by 3:01 PM IST.
''As the full moon rises during the late evening of March 24 into the early morning hours of March 25, it will travel through the Earth's penumbra, or the faint outer part of its shadow. This is called a penumbral eclipse," a NASA blog reads.
Will Indians be able to see it?
While the penumbral eclipse will remain visible to all of North and South America, people in India will not be able to view the phenomenon. The lunar eclipse will be visible in parts of Ireland, Belgium, Spain, England, South Norway, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Germany, the United States, Japan, Switzerland, Netherlands and France.
Will it affect the Holi celebrations?
Due to the lunar eclipse coinciding with the Holi celebrations, there's concern about whether the sutak period will impact the rituals. Fortunately, this won't be the case. Given that the eclipse won't be visible in India, there's no requirement to observe the sutak period. Holi rituals and puja can proceed during the auspicious muhurta without hindrance.
What is a penumbral lunar eclipse?
There are three types of lunar eclipses – total lunar eclipse, partial lunar eclipse, and penumbral eclipse, as per NASA. During a penumbral eclipse, the Moon makes its way through the penumbra or the faint outer part of the Earth's shadow. This causes the Moon to dim very slightly making the eclipse hard to observe.
During the phenomenon, the Sun, Earth and the Moon will get aligned in a straight line where our planet will be positioned in the middle. The Earth will cast a shadow on the surface of the Moon resulting in the penumbral lunar eclipse.
Next Lunar Eclipse
As per NASA, the next lunar eclipse will be partial and will occur on September 18, 2024, and will be visible in America, Europe, and Africa.
