You have a once-in-a-lifetime excuse for staying up tonight! The longest Lunar Eclipse of the century will be visible in Pondicherry!
WHAT TO EXPECT?
The moon will be blocked by the Earth’s shadow for 103 minutes, making this the longest lunar eclipse of the century. During a total lunar eclipse, the moon instead of disappearing from view, will take on a reddish hue and is often called the Blood Moon. And luckily for us, this celestial spectacle would be fully visible in Pondicherry!
WHAT TIME?
While the partial eclipse begins just before midnight around 11.45 p.m, the total lunar eclipse begins around 1 a.m. Make sure to look up at the moon at 1.51 a.m when it would appear the darkest/ reddest and continue to do so till 2.43 am. While the total lunar eclipse lasts for 1 hour and 43 minutes, it would be preceded and followed by partial eclipses that end around 4 a.m. Check out timeanddate.com’s location-specific projections here .
WHERE TO SEE THE LUNAR ECLIPSE IN PONDICHERRY?
The eclipse is safe to view with the naked eye, scientists emphasise- and can be seen from any flat surface with a clear view.
But if you want to make an outing out of the eclipse, here is where you can make the viewing extra special with a telescope:
Dr . Abdul Kalam Science Centre and Planetarium, Lawspet
Organised by : Puducherry Council for Science and Technology
Open from 11 p.m. on July 27 to 4 a.m. on July 28
Gandhi Thidal, Beach Road
Organised by: Pondicherry Science Forum
The forum also encourages people to organise their own viewings as such events are important in dispelling myths related to eclipses.
Auroville
Organiser: Pondicherry Astronomical Society
Details to be updated
Any terrace or open space
Organise a moonlight picnic with your friends or get your family together on your terrace or a flat space without many buildings or trees and a clear view of the moon.
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Don’t be disappointed if the full moon tonight appears smaller than usual. That’s because it would be the farthest away from the earth in its orbit and would take a longer time to cross the Earth’s shadow – hence the longest eclipse in the century! However, this is the second total lunar eclipse of the year after the one in January earlier this year.
