Lunar eclipse today: Find out what else is happening in the sky this month

The August night sky promises to be a busy month for astronomic enthusiasts with a string of visually celestial events expected to occur over the coming days. Here's what you should watch out for:

August 07: Lunar eclipse

The Aug 7 partial lunar eclipse will last just over five hours and it will be visible in India and all over Asia, Europe and Africa. The maximum eclipse will be at 11.50.29 pm. The partial eclipse ends at 00:48.09 am while the penumbral eclipse ends at 2:20.56 am on August 8. During this partial lunar eclipse, the Earth's shadow covers only parts of the Moon, as seen from New Delhi. The duration of the partial eclipse is 1 hour, 55 minutes. Meanwhile, the astronomic enthusiasts can enjoy the view in Nehru Planetarium as they will be setting up telescopes at the Teen Murti lawns in New Delhi from 9 pm.

[Solar Eclipse 2017: When, where, time and why is it unusual]

August 12: Perseid Meteor Shower

A section of the Internet has blown with the Perseid meteor shower out of proportion by spreading misinformation that they will not have a night on August 12! That claim is blatantly false.

The Perseid meteor shower occurs when the earth passes through the trail of dust and debris left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle, every August. However, between the evening of August 12 until the early morning hours of August 13, you can watch up to 100 shooting stars in an hour.

Photo coutesy: earthsky.org

August 16: Aldebaran

Aldebaran, designated Alpha Tauri is an orange giant star located about 65 light years from the Sun in the zodiac constellation of Taurus. It is the brightest star in its constellation. And on August 16, the crescent moon to its upper right will be very close to the Aldebaran.

Photo courtesy: earth.org

August 21: Total Solar Eclipse

A total solar eclipse is when the moon moves between the sun and Earth, lasting for up to about three hours from beginning to end. Unfortunately, the nearly three-hour celestial event will not be visible from India.

August 25: Jupiter and Spica

The largest planet in the solar system will be visible on August 25 right from around 9 am in the morning to 9 pm in the night. Jupiter can be located on the bottom right of the moon. Accompanying it will be the brightest star Virgo constellation, named Spica. It will be visible below Jupiter to the left of the moon in the sky.

Photo courtesy: Earth.org

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