Chandra Grahan 2021: The Lunar Eclipse will not be visible from most parts of India
The first Lunar Eclipse of the year will take place on May 26. This will be the first total Lunar Eclipse since January 21, 2019 and, yes, it will be a supermoon. The Moon will appear larger in the sky than a normal Full Moon and will also look reddish in colour. In India, the Lunar Eclipse or Chandra Grahan will not be visible. Only a few places in the eastern parts of the country will be able to see the partial Chandra Grahan. The Lunar Eclipse will be best seen from Australia, parts of the United States, western South America, the Pacific and South-East Asia. Not only the total Lunar Eclipse, according to the NASA, a series of celestial events have been happening since May 17th and it will culminate in the Lunar Eclipse on Wednesday.
The May Full Moon is also known as the Flower Moon, named after the wildflowers that blossom during spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
Chandra Grahan 2021: Here’s how the Sun, Earth and Moon are aligned when a Lunar Eclipse takes place
Explained: The Lunar Eclipse and Blood Moon
When the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow and light from the Sun cannot fall on it a Lunar Eclipse takes place. As seen in the picture above, the Sun, Earth and Moon align to block the sunlight and cast fleeting shadows. The Full Moon or the Super Blood Moon will be the closest to Earth on Wednesday night. A Blood Moon appears when the Earth’s satellite is in a total Lunar Eclipse. ”While there are planets and moons all over the solar system, only Earth is lucky enough to experience Lunar Eclipses because its shadow is just large enough to cover the Moon completely,” according to the space.com. There will be two lunar and two solar eclipses this year. The next eclipse will be a partial lunar eclipse that will take place on 19 November.
Check out the next 5 Blood Moon dates
- May 16, 2022: North America, South America, Europe and Africa
- November 8, 2022: North America, South America, Asia, Australia and the Pacific
- March 14, 2025: North America, South America, Europe, Africa and the Pacific
- September 7, 2025: Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia
- March 3, 2026: North America, South America, Asia, Australia and the Pacific
(source: space.com)
Here’s a word of caution. Do not get confused between a Solar Eclipse and a Lunar Eclipse. In a Solar Eclipse, the Sun gets darker while in a Lunar Eclipse, the Moon gets darker.