New Delhi: On May 5, the world will experience the first penumbral lunar eclipse of the year. A lunar eclipse happens when the Moon passes into the Earth’s shadow, darkening the moon. The first lunar eclipse of the year is a penumbral eclipse, which occurs when the moon passes through the Earth’s furthest zone of shadow – the penumbra. It differs compared to other eclipses in that the moon crosses through the umbra, the deepest area of the Earth’s shadow.
This year, it coincides with Vaishakh Purnima, also known as Buddha Purnima in India. The birthday of Gautam Buddha is celebrated on the Purnima of the month of Vaishakh.
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The lunar eclipse will be seen across at least some portions of Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, and Antarctica. The Penumbral Lunar Eclipse is expected to be viewable in India, and if the weather is clear, skywatchers will have the opportunity to see it.
Check out the Sutak timings:
In the Hindu calendar, the Lunar Eclipse and Solar Eclipse, additionally referred to as Chandra Grahan and Surya Grahan, have special value. Sutak is the period preceding and following the solar and lunar eclipses, which are regarded as unlucky. According to Drik Panchang, Sutak occurs 12 hours before the Solar Eclipse and 9 hours before the Lunar Eclipse.
Some prominent cities in India where the Penumbral Lunar Eclipse will be observed are New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, and Pune. According to Drik Panchang, there is no sutak during the May 5 Penumbral lunar eclipse.
The eclipse will begin at 08:44 PM IST on May 5 and terminate at 01:01 AM IST on May 6. The eclipse will last 4 hours and 18 minutes in total. According to the MP Birla Planetarium, all stages of the lunar eclipse would be viewable from all of India.
