The moon is set to treat Earthlings with a partial lunar eclipse on the 50th anniversary of the day when mankind launched the first mission to set foot on it. A partial lunar eclipse or ardh chandra grahan will be visible in the skies on July 16-17.
Britain's Royal Astronomical Society said in a statement the event would be visible from parts of northern Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and Western Australia.
In India, the Partial Eclipse will begin at 1:31 a.m and the maximum eclipse will occur at 3 a.m. The partial lunar eclipse will end at 04:29 a.m. The total duration of the eclipse is 5 hours, 34 minutes. The duration of the partial eclipse is 2 hours, 58 minutes.
The lunar eclipse should see around 60 percent of the Moon's visible surface obscured by the Earth's shadow, known as the umbra.
During this partial lunar eclipse, the Earth's shadow covers only parts of the Moon. The next total lunar eclipse will be visible on May 26, 2021.
Lunar eclipses happen when the Earth gets aligned in between the Sun and the Moon. Anyone on the night-side of the Earth at the time of the eclipse can see it.
Lunar eclipses are some of the most easy-to-watch astronomical events. Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses can be seen by the naked eye without risk of damage.
Rural areas with little or no artificial lights and pollution, however, have the clearest skies and the best viewing conditions for a lunar eclipse. Urban areas on the other hand, can provide interesting backdrops if you intend to photograph the eclipse.
More than 400,000 people worked on NASA's Apollo 11 mission, which launched on July 16, 1969 and put the first humans on the Moon four days later.
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