Today’s evening will not be an ordinary evening. Indians will witness a different moon today. The buzz which was running around from the year beginning is now coming to pass. The evening of January 31 will be a glitzy affair with the presence of a Super Moon, Blue Moon and a total lunar eclipse in the sky.
What is a Lunar eclipse?
A lunar eclipse happens when the white disc of the moon becomes dark, it may also sometimes assume the color of dried blood. As far as the celestial position is concerned, a lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, the Earth and the Moon are in alignment and symmetry for a period of time.
Why the term Blood Moon?
When there is a total lunar eclipse, the Earth shadows the Moon, thereby diffusing its colors in the atmosphere, making the Moon appear reddish. Hence, a totally eclipsed Moon is called a “Blood Moon”. The changed color of the Moon to blackish red is how this name came into existence. The blue moon can be looked at with naked eyes.
Super Moon – A glitzy affair
Because during this state, the moon looks larger than usual, hence it termed as Super Moon. The astonishing eclipse will start around 17:18 IST. However, the moon will come fully at 18:21 hours. It will remain totally eclipsed till 19:37. After that, the moon will come out of the Earth’s shadow, ending the partial eclipse by 20:41 hrs.
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Glancing into the past – A flashback to the Super Moons
The Super Moon also happened in 1866 in America, a country which hasn’t witnessed any Super Moon for the last 152 years. As far as Asia is concerned, it was on December 30, 1982, that the last Blue Moon and total lunar eclipse occurred.
Indians are also conscious of consuming food items during the time Super Moon will be on. So if you also believe in not consuming any food item during this duration, keep a watch. Meanwhile, we can’t wait to see the Blood Moon.
