21st century's longest lunar eclipse on Friday: Bengaluru gears up

The eclipse will last for 1 hour and 43 minutes and will start around 11.54 pm IST on July 27.

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Within six months of the rare astronomical phenomenon of the Super Blood Moon in January, star gazers in Bengaluru are getting set to witness the longest lunar eclipse in a span of 100 years, on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday.

The lunar eclipse will last for 1 hour and 43 minutes. It will be preceded and followed by partial eclipses lasting for more than an hour.

The eclipse will be visible in parts of South America, much of Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. For viewers across India, the eclipse, both partial and total, will be visible in its entirety from all parts of the country.

The partial eclipse of the moon will start around 11.54 pm Indian Standard Time on July 27, with the total eclipse beginning at 1 am on July 28.

“Enthusiasts can witness the phenomenon with the naked eye and without any filter,” Bharat Kumar of the Breakthrough Science Society (BSS) in Bengaluru said.

Explaining about the phenomenon, he said, “Throughout the eclipse, the moon will look a bit reddish. We will be able to see the moon as it is going to gradually fade out from one end to the other end throughout the span of more than 1 hour 30 minutes. The moonlight will recede gradually, it will be like dimming in and out of the moon over the entire period.”

He said this eclipse will be even longer than the one in January which was close to 45 minutes long.

“Unfortunately, since the weather is very inclement, there is a possibility we might miss out on the opportunity to see this rare event. This time, the eclipse starts by 11:30pm in the night, so we are practically not able to organise public viewing in multiple centres like last time (January),” he added.

BSS will host a seminar on lunar eclipse addressed by senior scientist Jayant Murthy of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, to dismiss myths and superstitions. It will be held from 2pm at SGR Women’s College at Rajajinagar.

The Nehru Planetarium in Bengaluru and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics are making separate arrangements for public viewing.