Lunar Eclipse 19 November 2021: Chandra Grahan timings and Indian cities' visibility details

New Delhi, Nov 18: The longest partial lunar eclipse of the century will occur on Friday as the Earth's shadow cover 97 per cent of the full moon. The last time such Chandra Grahan occurred was on February 18, 1440, and a similar phenomenon can next be witnessed 648 years later, on February 8, 2669.

According to the American Astronomical Society, a lunar eclipse happens when the sun, Earth and a full moon form a near-perfect lineup in space in what is known as syzygy. An eclipse in which the moon is not completely immersed in the umbra of the earth's shadow is called a partial lunar eclipse.

Lunar Eclipse Visibility
The first phases of the eclipse will be visible in northern and western Europe and the westernmost parts of Africa, while the fullest extent of Chandra Grahan will be visible over North and South America after midnight on Friday.

The lunar eclipse will be visible in North America, as well as parts of South America, Polynesia, eastern Australia and northeastern Asia, according to NASA.

Is Chandra Grahan Visible in India?
The rare phenomenon will be visible from places like Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, Director of Research and Academic at MP Birla Planetarium Debiprosad Duari told PTI.

"A few areas in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam will experience the last fleeting moments of the partial eclipse just after the moonrise, very close to the eastern horizon," he explained.

The penumbral eclipse will be visible from UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha but it can be seen only briefly from these places, he said.

Lunar Eclipse Timings in India
The Chandra Grahan, which occurs when the sun, earth, and the moon are imperfectly aligned, will begin at 11.32 am and end at 5.33 pm, Duari said, stating that it is not as spectacular and dramatic as the partial eclipse and sometimes does not even get noticed.

According to NASA, it will begin at approximately 12.49 pm ends at 4.17 pm. The maximum partial eclipse will be visible at 2.34 pm as 97 per cent of the moon will be covered by the Earth's shadow.

The moon is likely to appear blood-red in colour, which happens when the red beams of the sunlight pass through the Earth's atmosphere and get least deflected and fall on the moon.

The duration of the eclipse will be 3 hours 28 minutes and 24 seconds, making it the longest in 580 years. PTI