Today’s total lunar eclipse will be the last one for the next three years. The lunar eclipse has ended and the Moon is no longer in Earth’s shadow. Stargazers looking at the Moon across the world will now be met by a normal full Moon.
A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth moves in between the Sun and the Moon, partially or completely blocking sunlight from reaching the Moon. This causes a shadow on the Moon’s surface, which is what we see from Earth.
During a total solar eclipse, some sunlight will still reach the Moon. This light will pass through the Earth’s atmosphere, where blue light will be scattered in all directions due to a phenomenon known as Rayleigh scattering. This allows the redder light to pass through and reflect off the Moon, causing it to appear reddish during the eclipse.
Totality, the phase of the lunar eclipse during which the Moon is completely covered by the Earth’s shadow, has ended. The lunar eclipse is now in its second partial phase and the Earth’s shadow on the Moon will progressively continue to get smaller until 6.19 PM IST when the lunar eclipse will end and we will be greeted by a normal full moon.
According to a statement by the Indian government’s Ministry of Earth Sciences, the eclipse will begin at 2.39 PM IST today. The total lunar eclipse will start at 3.46 PM IST and will go on till 5.12 PM IST. The lunar eclipse will end at 6.19 PM.
By definition, the Sun and the Moon are at opposite ends of the Earth during a lunar eclipse. This means that the Moon will be below the horizon until the Sun sets, leaving a small window for Indian stargazers to witness the eclipse.