India to witness this year’s last partial lunar eclipse on October 28-29
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New Delhi: India will be able to witness the last partial lunar eclipse of 2023 on Saturday night.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said, “For sky gazers and enthusiasts: Get ready for the cosmic event of the year! A partial #LunarEclipse will occur on October 28-29”.
“Watch as Earth moves between the Sun & Moon & witness the beauty of astronomy in action!” the post added.
In a partial eclipse, Earth’s shadow appears very dark on the side of the Moon facing Earth. What people see from Earth during a partial lunar eclipse depends on how the Sun, Earth and Moon align.
It is expected to commence around 11.31 p.m., and by midnight, approximately 1 a.m., the moon's surface will be gradually enveloped by the darker portion of the Earth's shadow, known as the umbra.
Besides various parts of India, the eclipse will be visible to people in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, North America, North/East South America, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Arctic and Antarctica.
"The eclipse will occur during late night of October 28 and will continue into the early hours of October 29," astrophysicist Debi Prasad Duari said.
According to him, on October 28, the moon will be partially eclipsed by the shadow of the earth for some time and will give people in India a chance to witness a partial lunar eclipse.
The first lunar eclipse of 2023 occurred on May 5.
The latest celestial event comes on the heels of a solar eclipse that took place on October 14, just two weeks ago.
The last total lunar eclipse visible from India was on November 8, 2022; and the next will be on September 7, 2025.
With inputs from agencies