Thread by @weatherindia

May 2021 Lunar Eclipse: Everything You Need to Know About the First Total #LunarEclipse of the Year

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(📸: Xinhua/Stephen Chung/IANS)

Nearly two full years after the last total lunar eclipse, the sky gazers are all set to witness a total lunar eclipse on Wednesday, May 26. The last total lunar eclipse occurred on January 21, 2019.

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It is popularly referred to as the blood moon due to the reddish colour of the full moon.

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The eclipse is also happening on the day when the Earth’s natural satellite will be at perigee—among the closest point on its orbit around the Earth—at a distance of just 3,57,311 km from its host planet.

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Therefore, the ellipse of May 26 is being referred to as the #SuperBloodMoon.

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Though the eclipse will not be fully visible in India, some parts of the country are likely to witness it only for a short duration.

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The weather conditions in most parts of the country, including east, northeast and southern India, are not favourable for sky gazing as clouds are likely to blanket these regions on Wednesday.

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What is a lunar eclipse?

A total lunar eclipse happens when the Sun and the Moon are on the two opposite sides of the Earth, while in the partial eclipse, only part of Earth's shadow covers the Moon.

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Earth’s shadow is composed of two components—a dark inner circle where all of the sunlight is blocked, called the umbra, and an outer zone of the shadow that blocks only part of sunlight, called the penumbra.

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A penumbral lunar eclipse takes place when the Moon moves through the faint outer part of Earth’s shadow (penumbra) instead of the dark shadow (umbra).

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The total duration of the eclipse is expected to be 5 hours, 2 minutes. It is also referred to as the Blood Moon as some amount of sunlight manages to falls indirectly on the lunar surface through the Earth's atmosphere, thus giving a red hue.

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Where all the eclipse will be visible?

Regions which are expected to witness the event include South America, North America, Asia, Australia, Antarctica, the Pacific Ocean & Indian Ocean. Since the phenomenon takes place in the afternoon hours, most parts of India will miss it.

The ending of this eclipse will be visible for a short span from northeast India—except Sikkim—along with some parts of West Bengal, coastal parts of Odisha and Andaman and the Nicobar Islands, if the weather permits.

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Time for the lunar eclipse

As per reports, the partial phase of the eclipse is set to commence at 3:15 PM (IST), while the total phase is expected to begin from 4:39 PM.

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The total lunar eclipse phase is predicted to end at 4:58 PM and the partial at 6:23 PM. The next lunar eclipse is expected to adorn the sky on November 19, 2021 and will be a partial lunar eclipse.

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