Lunar Eclipse 2011: Darkest India In This Century
NEW DELHI: The heavens are aligned with what promises to be a surreal experience on the night of 15/16 June - the darker lunar eclipse seen in India in this century and whose total phase will last about 100 minutes unusually long. The eclipse will be visible throughout the country.
Lunar eclipses are much less spectacular eclipses of the Sun and produces relatively less astrobuffs enthusiasm. But the show Wednesday night promises to be different. Although most lunar eclipses, the Moon turns brown - listed as Burnt Toast - the celestial alignment of June 15 is so direct, the Moon is almost black, as it works its way into the dark side of Earth (called the Umbra).
"In areas far from the glare of city lights, the moon appears as a dark circular void in the dark sky," said Ajay Talwar astro-photographer. In big cities, but the Moon will probably invisible to most of the total phase, "he said.
The eclipses visible in India since the last time the Moon passes through some very dark shadow of the Earth 40 years ago, August 6, 1971.
Darker the eclipse will happen until the year 2141, but the eclipse of 2058 will be the only shade lighter than the spectacle of 15/16 June.
The total eclipse phase begins at 0:52 (June 16), which reaches its climax at 1:42 when the disc of the moon is at its darkest, and ends at 2:32. The last solar eclipse to exceed this period took place in July 2000.
