Skygazers around the world are in for a spectacular show on Sunday as a total lunar eclipse, popularly known as a Blood Moon or ‘Chandra Grahan’, lights up the night sky.
Major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai will be able to witness this amazing spectacle in its full glory.
Scientists from India’s premier laboratory, the Indian Institute of Astrophysics in Bengaluru, assert there are no harmful effects from watching a lunar eclipse. You can eat, drink, and enjoy the event with family and friends.
During a total lunar eclipse, Earth moves directly between the Sun and the Moon, casting its shadow across the lunar surface. Instead of disappearing, the Moon glows deep red, giving it the iconic “Blood Moon” appearance. This vivid colour is a natural phenomenon, caused by sunlight passing through Earth’s atmosphere, filtering out shorter blue wavelengths and letting red and orange light reach the Moon.
The totality viewing times vary across different time zones, and the lunar eclipse will be visible across multiple regions. Reportedly, 77 per cent of the world’s population will be able to see the entire total phase of the eclipse.
Those watching from Asia and Australia are likely to have the best experience, as the Moon will be high overhead during totality.
In India, the ‘grahan’ timings begin at 8:58 PM on 7 September, with the chandra grahan reaching maximum totality at 11:41 PM.
Pitru Paksha is starting from Sunday, September 7. According to the Pandits, after many years, such a rare coincidence is happening when it will start with a lunar eclipse and end with a solar eclipse on September 21.
During Pitru Paksha, auspicious works such as marriage, engagement, housewarming, tonsure, or shopping for new things are also prohibited. In this, there is only a tradition of performing the Shradh of ancestors.