The first celestial event of 2020, a penumbral lunar eclipse, will take place on January 10 and skywatchers will be able to witness the phenomenon from all corners of India. Stay with Version Weekly for all the updates.
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In a lunar eclipse the moon is entirely obscured, however, the 2020 lunar eclipse isn’t a total lunar eclipse but a penumbral lunar eclipse.
That means the moon is just caught in the Earth’s outer shadow, also called the penumbral shadow. This will make the moon look darker than usual and maybe look subtly redder.
In certain belief systems, it might not be considered good or auspicious to venture out or perform sacred activities during this penumbral lunar eclipse.
Types of lunar eclipse
There are three types of lunar eclipses: Total lunar eclipse, Partial lunar eclipse and Penumbral lunar eclipse.
Total lunar eclipse happens when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, “completely” covering the Moon with its shadow. This happens when the three celestial bodies are aligned to make a line. The Moon can also turn red during a total lunar eclipse, earning it the nickname of Blood Moon.
Partial lunar eclipse takes place when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, but covers only a part of Moon, leaving the other part visible. This happens when the three bodies are not precisely aligned.
Penumbral lunar eclipse happens when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, and the outer part of the planet casts a faint shadow on the Moon. This happens when the three bodies are imperfectly aligned and usually this eclipse is mistaken as a full moon.
Lunar Eclipse 2020: How long will the eclipse last?
The Lunar Eclipse or Chandra Grahan will last for about 4 hours and 5 minutes (205 Minutes). The penumbral lunar eclipse today (January 10) will begin at 10:37 pm. And will continue until 2:42 am on January 11. The maximum eclipse will happen at 12:40 am on January 1
In a normal lunar eclipse, the moon passes through the central part of the earth’s shadow called umbra, and one witnesses considerable darkening of the lunar disc.
The eclipse isn’t visible everywhere in the world. Luckily for those in India, it’s visible here but people in the United States, central Canada, a large part of South America and Antarctica won’t be able to view it.
Apart from India the January 10 lunar eclipse will be visible from Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean and Arctic region. Much of North America and the eastern part of South America will also be able to see the celestial event.
Following tonight’s eclipse, India will be able to witness another lunar and a solar eclipse on June 5th and June 21st respectively.
Astronomy enthusiasts and sky gazers will be able to watch six eclipses in 2020, but only three of them are expected to be visible in India.
Four of these eclipses will be lunar, the remaining two are going to be solar.
Lunar Eclipse 2020: In various parts of India, people will testify the first full moon of 2020, alias ‘Chandra Grahan’ on Thursday, 10th January 2020. This time the sun, earth and moon line up for around 240 minutes (4 hours).
In a lunar eclipse, we have three types of Chandra Grahan– total, partial, and penumbral. In the period of a total lunar eclipse – known as “blood moon” – the moon intrudes into the Earth’s central shadow, its umbra; A partial lunar eclipse occurs when a tiny part of the moon covered by the Earth’s umbra. While in a penumbral lunar eclipse, the moon drifts into the earth’s outer shadow known as Penumbra. But these three celestial bodies remain aligned in an about straight-line producing a dark shadow.
This will be the first penumbral lunar eclipse out of four in 2020. Once the moon drifts into the Earth’s shadow this Jan 10th (Friday), Indians may able to enjoy the divine phenomenon.
However, NASA has invented the term ‘Wolf Moon Eclipse’ 2020 for this celestial event. Refer to the below sections and get the detailed information on Lunar Eclipse January 2020 like Indian timings, duration, Name of the visible countries, Do’s and Don’ts, etc.
Know All About Wolf Moon Eclipse 2020 And Its India Time:
What is Lunar Eclipse?
The moon orbits the earth, the earth orbits the sun, at the same time. That moment will be called Lunar Eclipse. When this occurs, Earth blocks the sunlight that generally is reflected by the moon. In place of light hitting the moon’s surface, the earth’s shadow fell on it. This is an eclipse of the moon known as a lunar eclipse. A lunar eclipse can happen only when the moon is full, describes US Space Agency NASA.
Date and Timing of the Lunar Eclipse 2020 (Chandra Grahan)
This Celestial Phenomenon of Wolf Moon Eclipse will begin on 10th January 2020, 10:37 PM and will finish at 2:42 AM on January 11, 2020 (In Indian Standard Time, IST).
Wolf Moon Eclipse 2020 Duration:
The total duration of the first full moon of 2020 would be 4 hours and 5 minutes.
What are the places will the Lunar Eclipse be visible?
The January Lunar Eclipse 2020 could be spotted from almost all the countries such as Asia, Europe, Australia, Africa, East in South America, A lot of North America, Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, and the Indian Ocean.
Do’s and Don’ts for Chandra Grahan on January 2020
You don’t have to take any special instrument to watch the lunar eclipse, unlike Solar Eclipse. You can even enjoy the lunar eclipse with naked eyes. Want to know some more Do’s and Don’ts during a lunar eclipse, check the below points.
Dos during the Wolf Moon Eclipse 2020:
- At first, as always keep a Dhruva Grass under beds, on food items, as well as the center of the rooms. It will support in maintaining purity during the time of lunar eclipse as it avoids the ill-effects of radiation. Also, it is known as Dhurba and it has blessings of god Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh.
- Hyming Mahamrityunjay Mantra while lunar eclipse helps in preventing the Kaal-Sarp dosh in your horoscope. It sounds something like this: Om Tryambakam Yajamahe Sugandhim Pushti-Vardhanam, Urvarukamiva Bandhanan Mrityormukshiya Mamritat ॥
- You can even chant:
Hare Ram Hare Ram, Ram Ram Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare - Pregnant women must enchant this mantra, as looks like this:
Om Devki Sudha Govinda Vasudev Jagatpate Dehime Taney Krishnan Twamaham Srnam Gatah. - Must take a shower after the eclipse is completed.
- Contributing something in the name of Pitra is beneficial.
Don’ts during the Lunar Eclipse 2020:
- Stop eating food at that time of duration.
- Avoid Copulation
- Prevent sitting on an animal.
- You have to avoid sleeping during the eclipse duration.
If you follow these Do’s and Don’ts during the duration of the eclipse, help for your health and career wealth. So, do remember these points while the Lunar Eclipse 2020 (Chandra Grahanam in Telugu) and be careful all the time. If you are looking for some other precautions should take during Wolf Moon Eclipse 2020, drop a comment in the below section and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
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