Lunar Eclipse 2021: Date, timings in India; when, where to watch longest partial 'Chandra Grahan'

The last lunar eclipse of 2021 will take place on November 19. This is also said to be the largest lunar eclipse in 580 years as the last such partial lunar eclipse of this length took place on February 18, 1440. Such a phenomenon is likely to be witnessed next on February 8, 2669. The first lunar eclipse of 2021, known as super flower blood moon, occurred on May 26. The next lunar eclipse to be visible from India will take place on November 8, 2022.

What is a lunar eclipse?

A lunar eclipse takes place when the earth comes in between the moon and the sun, causing the moon to be covered by the earth's shadow. The intensity and the extent to which the earth’s shadow covers the moon determines the types of lunar eclipses -- total, partial and penumbral.

The moon may appear blood red in colour on this day. This happens when beams of sunlight pass through the earth’s atmosphere and get least deflected and fall back on the moon.

Where will lunar eclipse be visible in India?

The lunar eclipse will be visible in a few areas in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. It will be visible in the last fleeting moments of the partial eclipse just after the moonrise. Besides this, the penumbral eclipse will also be visible from UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha for a brief amount of time, according to PTI.

Where else will the lunar eclipse be visible?

The partial lunar eclipse will also be visible from North America, South America, Australia, the Pacific Region and eastern Asia.

Lunar eclipse time

The partial eclipse will begin at 12:48 pm and last till 4:17 pm. The duration of this eclipse will be 5 hours and 2 minutes, making it the longest eclipse in 580 years. Of this, the partial phase will last for 2 hours and 53 minutes while the full eclipse will be 14 minutes long.

The penumbral eclipse, which takes place when the sun, earth and the moon are imperfectly aligned, will begin at 11:32 am and end at 5:33 pm. Maximum partial eclipse will be visible at 2:34 pm as 97 per cent of the moon will be covered by the earth’s shadow.

• Partial phase beginning – 3:15 pm
• Partial phase ending – 6:23 pm
• Total phase beginning – 4:39 pm
• Total phase ending – 4:58 pm

Also read: What makes the lunar eclipse of May 2021 so special?

Also read: Lunar Eclipse 2021: When, where, how to watch Super Flower Blood Moon eclipse on Wednesday