Lunar Eclipse 2023 highlights: Time in your city, dos and don'ts, impact on zodiac signs, latest on Chandra Grahan

According to space.com, this lunar spectacle will be visible from a number of locations. These include Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, North America, North/East South America, the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, the Arctic and Antarctica. India, in particular, will have a clear view of the moon's gradual darkening around midnight, according to the PIB. The path from which the lunar eclipse can be viewed has been plotted by In-The-Sky.org, with New Delhi in particular offering a southern view of the event. According to In-the-sky, the moon will be 62 degrees above the horizon at the peak of the eclipse.

According to the Press Information Bureau, while the moon will enter the penumbral phase at midnight on October 28, the umbral phase, where the eclipse becomes more pronounced, will begin in the early hours of October 29. The umbral phase of this lunar eclipse will begin at 1:05 am on October 29 and will end at 2:24 am. The total duration of the eclipse will be 1 hour and 19 minutes, according to the government agency.

A lunar eclipse is an astronomical event which occurs when the moon moves into the earth's shadow, causing the moon to be darkened. When the moon penetrates partially into the Earth's umbra or shadow, it is known as a partial lunar eclipse. A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when part or all of the moon passes into the Earth's penumbra or partially shaded outer region of the shadow.

When, where and how to watch Chandra Grahan: Read here

After tonight, the next lunar eclipse visible in India will be on September 7, 2025. It will be a total lunar eclipse.

So today is absolutely unmissable.

Looking at the Sun during a solar eclipse is dangerous but looking at a lunar eclipse is completely safe. You can do so without any protective equipment or you can also use a pair of binoculars or a telescope. This will help you get a better view of the lunar eclipse.

What are your plans?

The eclipse begins at about 1.06 AM IST tonight. Here's what will happen:

1. You will start seeing the Moon slowly pass into Earth’s umbra.
2. The shadow will start covering more and more of the Moon until 1.45 AM IST.
3. After that, the eclipse will start receding until about 2.23 AM IST.
4. Then you will see a normal full moon again.

The India Meteorological Department said, "A partial #LunarEclipse will occur on Oct 28-29, 2023, Saturday-Sunday, 6-7 Kartika, 1945 Saka Era. Watch as Earth moves between the Sun & Moon & witness the beauty of astronomy in action!"

These are some things that you should follow during the lunar eclipse:

1. Stay inside.
2. Refrain from beginning new projects.
3. Pregnant women are advised not to go outside during the period.

Lunar Eclipse will end in New Delhi at 3:36am, October 29, 2023.

Lunar Eclipse begins in New Delhi ar 11:31pm, October 28, 2023.

The eclipse is expected to start receding after 1:45am. The receding activity will continue till around 2:23am.

Lunar Eclipse 2023: Know how different zodiac signs will be affected. Read here

“A classic case of what psychologists call Confirmation Bias is that we tend to remember all the occasions when two things happened together, but forget all of the other times when they did not. This gives us a biased view of causes and effects that we remember easily, because the human brain is predisposed to looking for, and remembering, patterns that can be used as survival rules-of-thumb. Total solar eclipses are not often recorded in the historical record, but they do tend to be recorded when they coincide with other historical events. For example in 763 B.C., early Assyrian records mention an eclipse in the same passage as an insurrection in the city of Ashur, now known as Qal'at Sherqat in Iraq, suggesting that the ancient people linked the two in their minds. Or when King Henry I of England, the son of William the Conqueror, died in A.D. 1133, the event coincided with a total solar eclipse. With a little work you can also find numerous cases when something good happened!” NASA asserts.

NASA scientists debunk the myth saying, “Related to the false idea of harmful solar rays is that during a total solar eclipse, some kind of radiation is produced that will harm your food. If that were the case, the same radiations would harm the food in your pantry or crops in the field. The basic idea is that total solar eclipses are terrifying and their ghostly green coronae look frightening, so it is natural to want to make up fearful stories about them and look for coincidences among events around you. If someone is accidentally food-poisoned with potato salad during an eclipse, some might argue that the event was related to the eclipse itself even though hundreds of other people at the same location were not at all affected.”

Some people believe that if you are pregnant, you should not watch an eclipse because it can harm your baby. “This is related to the previous false idea that harmful radiations are emitted during a total solar eclipse. Although the electromagnetic radiation from the corona, seen as light, is perfectly safe, there is another form of radiation that travels to Earth from the sun. Deep in the solar interior where nuclear fusion takes place to light the sun, particles called neutrinos are born, and zip unimpeded out of the sun and into space. They also pass through the solid body of the moon during the eclipse and a second or so later reach Earth and pass through it too! Every second, your body is pelted by trillions of these neutrinos no matter if the sun is above or below the horizon. The only consequence is that every few minutes a few atoms in your body are transmuted into a different isotope by absorbing a neutrino. This is an entirely harmless effect and would not harm you, or if you are pregnant, the developing fetus,” NASA reveals.

Here are some do's and don'ts to follow during the sutak kaal time of Chandra Grahan:

• It is generally suggested to stay indoors and avoid doing new things or starting any new work during the lunar eclipse.
• Drinking water, brushing teeth, combing hair, oil massage, visiting the loo or using the washroom and involving in sexual activities are prohibited during the lunar eclipse.
• There is a strict belief to not let pregnant women venture out during the lunar eclipse nor cut or stitch any cloth or carry sharp objects like scissors, blade, knife or do any other similar activities as they can have adverse effects on the baby.
• All type of food items either solid or liquid are prohibited during sutak kaal and eclipse.
• According to Chandra Grahan dos and don’ts, Tulsi leaves must be put in the food items till the time there is an eclipse on the moon.
• Pray that the moon will soon be free from the grip of Rahu.
• Take a holy bath before and after eclipse to cleanse the body and soul.

The period preceding the eclipse is known as Sutak and is regarded as an inauspicious period by Hindus. According to Drik Panchang, Lunar Eclipse Sutak is observed for 3 Prahars before the eclipse or Sutak is observed for 9 hours before Lunar Eclipse i.e. before the actual start of the Chandra Grahan.

Partial Lunar Eclipse 2023 will be visible in Indore on October 29, 2023 and will start at 1:06 am, end at 2:22 am.

Partial Lunar Eclipse 2023 will be visible in Lucknow on October 29, 2023 and will start at 1:06 am, end at 2:22 am.

Partial Lunar Eclipse 2023 will be visible in Chennai on October 29, 2023 and will start at 1:06 am, end at 2:22 am.