Know all about today's Lunar eclipse

Bengaluru, March 23: Lunar eclipse will take place on March 23, Wednesday from 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

Astronomy enthusiasts and sky gazers will be able to watch penumbral lunar eclipse will occur on March 23.

According to NASA, the Chandra Grahan is a Penumbral lunar eclipse and is visible along Asia, Austraila Pacific Islands and Western parts of Americas.

In India, it will be visible during moonrise in the afternoon. The Chandra Grahan will be taking place in India between 3:09 pm on March 23 to 7:25 pm on March 23, 2016.

The eclipse cannot be mostly viewed by the naked eye as it will be taking place in the afternoon.

The eclipse in India begins in the afternoon and ends in the evening. The time is same throughout India, as per NASA. It would be the first Lunar Eclipse out of the two lunar eclipses in 2016.

As it is penumbral eclipse it would not be considered for any religious activities by Hindus. For eclipse watchers also it would not be a significant event as the moon eclipse would hardly be visible through naked eyes.

Further this penumbral eclipse would be partial and the penumbral shadow of the earth would not cover the moon completely during the maximum of the eclipse.

The penumbral eclipse would be visible from Asia, Australia, North America and most of the parts in South America.

Although, the eclipse would be visible in India, Pakistan and Nepal but none of the religious activities which are observed during Lunar eclipse would be followed.

A penumbral lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahan) occurs when the sun, earth and moon align in an almost straight line.

When this happens, the earth blocks some of the sun's light from directly reaching the moon's surface, and covers a small part of the moon with the outer part of its shadow, also known as the penumbra.

Eclipse myth in India

In India, there are various myths and superstitions rleated to eclipses, whether it is solar or lunar.

According to the Indian version of lunar eclipse, a demon named Rahu eats up the moon during eclipse. People still view lunar eclipse as inauspicious and refrain from eating or cooking during the eclipse.

Pregnant women need to be extra cautious

Pregnant ladies should not see the Eclipse at all. The Negative energies released during the eclipse can cause sever problems to the eyes, skin and hormones.

Following tips should be strictly observed by pregnant women:

• Food prepared before the eclipse must not be consumed during or after the Eclipse.
• As during the eclipse negative or harmful rays are circulated in the environment. It is therefore advised to remain indoors and avoid looking directly at the eclipse.
• These rays also get absorbed in the food. The cooked food should be eaten before eclipse.
• People should avoid eating and drinking during the eclipse phase too. Drinking water can be kept pure by adding Tulsi (Basil leaves). This keeps the water pure.
• One should also refrain from sleeping during this period.

One of the strange superstitions during pregnancy is that when a pregnant women watches a lunar eclipse, the baby will have a cleft lip.

OneIndia News