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Near-total lunar eclipse, or Chandra Grahan, tonight sets up for a 'good month for skywatching'
According to Nasa, it will be the longest partial lunar eclipse of the century as the Moon will slip into Earth's shadow for a couple of hours.
The near-total lunar eclipse is set to occur on the intervening night of November 18-19 as the upcoming full Moon will appear opposite the Sun at 3.58 am EST. The next full Moon, known as the Beaver, Frost/Frosty, or Snow Moon, is celebrated in many countries as Kartik Purnima, Karthikai Vilakkidu, Thrikarthika, Loi Krathong, Bon Om Touk, and Tazaungdaing.
The lunar eclipse will occur on Friday for much of the Earth, except Alaska's time zone westward to the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean where it will take place on Thursday night. According to Nasa, it will be the longest partial lunar eclipse of the century as the Moon will slip into Earth's shadow for a couple of hours.
The duration of the partial lunar eclipse will be about 3 hours and 28 minutes.
Lunar Eclipse 2021: Date, time and all that you need to know
Nasa executive Gordon Johnston said in a blog post that slight dimming of the Moon will not be noticeable until the Earth’s full shadow begins falling on the upper part of the Moon at 2.18am EST. The near-total eclipse will reach its peak at around 4.03am when over 97% of the Moon will be in full shadow. Johnston added that only a small sliver of the left side of the Moon will shine in the partial shadow of the Earth.
In India, the lunar eclipse, or the Chandra Grahan, will start at 12.48pm IST and end at 4.17pm IST. The eclipse will reach its peak around 2.24pm. People in the northeastern part of India will be able to watch this eclipse and won't be visible from the other parts of the country.
The full shadow of the Earth is not black due to the planet’s atmosphere.
"This should be a good month for skywatching, with Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn in the evening sky, a potentially visible comet, and one of the best meteor showers of the year!" Johnston wrote.
