Lunar Eclipse: All about the Super Blood Moon (May 26)
A total lunar eclipse will combine with other rare lunar phenomena on May 26, which is also a Wednesday. The event is described as Super Flower Blood Moon, with the lengthy term being a combination of several astronomical phenomena. The total lunar eclipse itself will be visible to India, Southeast Asia, Australia, and most of the North and South America for about 15 minutes.
Celestial phenomena will only be visible in Eastern India
The total lunar eclipse, also known as "Chandra Grahan," will occur on May 26 and will be visible only for a short span of time from the Northeast India, West Bengal, Odisha, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Lunar eclipses are only visible on the night side of the Earth, that's why visibility will be restricted to Eastern India shortly prior to moonrise.
What exactly does the term Super Flower Blood Moon mean?
The "Super" part comes from the position of the moon being the closest to Earth during the course of its elliptical orbit, which makes it appear larger. The "Flower" bit refers to certain flowers that bloom in the month of May. Meanwhile, the "Blood" descriptor is on account of the Moon appearing red because of the red-orange light refracted through the Earth's atmosphere.
What time can Indians view the total lunar eclipse?
The total lunar eclipse will commence at 2:17 pm and end at 7:19 pm in India. The phenomenon involves the Moon being covered by Earth's shadow projected by the Sun behind it. If the Moon had a flat orbit, every full Moon would be a lunar eclipse, but the 5-degree tilt between the celestial bodies' mutual orbits ensures such phenomenon happen rarely.
You can also watch it on YouTube
How to go about viewing the total lunar eclipse?
Unlike a solar eclipse, which is dangerous when viewed with naked eyes, lunar eclipses are perfectly safe. However, you'll have a better view if you use optical tools such as binoculars or astronomical telescopes. Once again, due to the alignment of planets only people from Eastern India will get a proper glimpse of the total lunar eclipse.
There's another lunar eclipse happening in November, 2021
However, if you can't view Wednesday's lunar eclipse, don't worry because there is another one coming up on the night of November 18 this year. Although that lunar eclipse is technically partial, only a tiny sliver of Moon won't be occluded by Earth's shadow. For all intents and purposes, that eclipse will be virtually indistinguishable from a total lunar eclipse happening tomorrow.
