moon phases

Tonight sees a Lunar Eclipse occur and will be visible in many places across the globe but what of the phases the moon goes through during it's eclipse? There are 8 different positions the Moon goes through in it's cycle and these will be seen tonight as the moon becomes more and more eclipsed.

The image to the left shows the different positions that it goes through in it's orbit around the earth. In any position, half of the moon is lit up by the sun (the light side of the Moon) and half is not (the dark side). Also, half of the Moon is visible to the Earth (the near side of the Moon) and half is not (the far side). As the Moon moves around the Earth, we can see different portions of the illuminated half of the Moon.

So a real treat tonight for those with a keen liking for astronomy and will be a exquisite sight to behold.

Lunar Eclipse

The most significant lunar eclipse of the century thus far will take place tomorrow giving skywatchers across the globe a real treat in beholding the spectacle. The moon will be eclipse for a relatively long period of time as it is immersed deeply in the umbral darker shadow of the Earth.

Nehru Planetarium Director, N Rathnasree speaks of the event saying; "The total phase of this lunar eclipse will last 100 minutes. The last eclipse to exceed this duration was in July 2000," she said. An eclipse of this magnitude will take place again in 2141 so it's safe to say that miss this happening and you won't get another chance to see one!

The total lunar eclipse will begin at 00:52:30 IST and end at 02:32:42 IST. The partial eclipse, meanwhile, will begin at 23:52:56 IST and end at 03:32:15 IST. It will be completely visible in Africa and central Asia and will also be able to be spotted over South America, West Africa and Europe.