World to witness thrilling 'Blood Moon' spectacle on November 8

The globe will witness the thrilling spectacle of a "Blood Moon" lunar eclipse on the evening of November 8 as the Earth's shadow envelops its lone satellite for almost one and a half hours, a renowned astronomer said here on Monday.
According to Prof. Bharat Adur, Director of the Akash Ganga Centre for Astronomy (AGCA) here, the lunar eclipse, which will occur exactly 14 days (two Tuesdays) after the partial solar eclipse on October 25, will be entirely visible in the northeastern states in the evening as the sun sets, but only partially so in the rest of India.

"The Moon will appear a dark reddish colour during this time, almost like a giant drop of blood balanced in the sky, when the Earth's impending shadow covers it tomorrow... It's a thrilling spectacle and is known as a "Blood Moon," according to Prof. Adur.

Since this will be the last total lunar eclipse, he advised the people to observe it wherever they could. The next total lunar eclipse won't happen until September 7, 2025, which is three years from now.

According to Professor Adur, when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon, its enormous shadow will completely or partially envelop the little natural satellite from an astounding distance of 3.93 lakh kilometres away. The Sun is approximately 109 times larger than Earth and is located more than 148 million kilometres away, whilst the Earth is almost four times larger than the Moon and is located an average of 3,85 lakh kilometres away from it.
Prof. Adur explained that during a total lunar eclipse, the Moon is completely covered by the Earth's deepest shadow, known as the "umbra," and at this point, the Moon appears dark-reddish, or what is known as the "Blood Moon" event.

Prof. Adur reassured that there is absolutely no damage in observing the rare "Blood Moon" on Tuesday with naked eyes or with binoculars, which would accentuate the reddish colour, notwithstanding the dreadful myths or very religious features linked with any eclipse (solar or lunar).

The final eclipse of 2022 will be visible in totality on Tuesday in the northeastern districts of India, including Kohima, Agartala, Guwahati, and other locations worldwide. Only the partial phase may be seen in Mumbai, Kolkata, New Delhi, and Chennai, and only 14% of the Moon's obscuration can be seen at 18.03 hours in the setting sun in the nation's commercial capital.

According to Prof. Adur, the Moon would appear to be 60% covered in Nagpur, 66% in Srinagar, and to variable degrees in other locations.

People in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, sections of Asia, Russia, the Americas (North and South), Australia, the North Atlantic and Pacific Ocean regions, and portions of the Middle East can observe this celestial event, which is the second since the last partial solar eclipse (October 25).