'Blood Moon' Rises, Rare Total Lunar Eclipse Lights Up The Sky

Stargazers were in for a treat as they turned their gaze towards the Moon Sunday night to witness a rare 'Blood Moon' or the total lunar eclipse, the longest since 2022, visible across Asia and swathes of Europe and Africa.

When the Sun, Earth and Moon line up, the shadow cast by the planet on its satellite makes it appear an eerie, deep red colour that has astounded humans for millennia.

According to NASA, lunar eclipses occur at the full moon phase. 

This rare celestial event offers a stunning opportunity to witness the shadow of Earth gracefully glide across the Moon, transforming it into a glowing coppery-red disc.

The Moon appears red during lunar eclipses because the only sunlight reaching it is "reflected and scattered through the Earth's atmosphere", Ryan Milligan, an astrophysicist at Northern Ireland's Queen's University Belfast told AFP.

Blue wavelengths of light are shorter than red ones, so are more easily dispersed as they travel through Earth's atmosphere, he said. 

"That's what gives the moon its red, bloody colour," he added.

While special glasses or pinhole projectors are needed to safely observe solar eclipses, all that is required to see a lunar eclipse is clear weather -- and being in the right spot. Basically, just step outside and look up.

Sunday's eclipse is the longest total lunar eclipse visible from India since 2022 and the first since July 27, 2018 to be observed from all parts of the country.

Cloudy skies played spoilsport in several parts of the country, but the live streams set up by astronomy enthusiasts world over made up for the disappointment due to overcast skies.

The totality phase will last 82 minutes, offering ample time to marvel at the Moon's transformation.

"The Moon will be fully eclipsed from 11.01 pm to 12.23 am for a duration of 82 minutes," Niruj Mohan Ramanujam, Head of Science, Communication, Public Outreach and Education (SCOPE) Section, Indian Institute of Astrophysics, told news agency PTI.

This is the second lunar eclipse of the year. The first one took place in March this year.