Chandra Grahan or total lunar eclipse on July 27: Here’s why this event is unique

Total lunar eclipse on July 27: Longest lunar eclipse in 100 years

Over the night of July 27, and July 28, stargazers will be able to catch a glimpse of the longest lunar eclipse in over a century. There are two factors responsible for this event. On the one hand, during its orbit, the Moon will be at its furthest distance from the Earth. This will make the Moon’s revolution around our planet seem slower than usual.

In addition, it will also fall under the region over which the Earth casts its shadow, called the Umbra. Due to these factors, the Moon will remain shielded from the Sun for a longer duration than usual, and reflect red light off its surface, giving rise to the ‘blood moon’.

Also read: Lunar Eclipse 2018: Here are the India timings for watching the century’s longest eclipse

Chandra Grahan or Total lunar eclipse on July 27: Second blood moon of 2018

On July 27, residents of the Earth will be witness to the year’s second blood moon. This follows the super blue blood moon that played out on the night of January 31 across many parts of the world. While this event may not seem as dramatic in comparison, the Moon will still be observed in hues of scarlet red.

The Moon receives its ‘blood red’ colour from a scientific phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering. In this process, if any interference come in the way of a beam of light, the rays in the beam gets scattered, and reflect different colours.

In space, most colours cannot travel large distances, and only red light can be clearly seen over millions of kilometres. As the Moon continues to move towards the centre of the Earth’s shadow, and then away from it, red light will bounce off its surface in different proportions. Blood moon, though, refers to the brightest shade of red, that the Moon will reflect at the height of the lunar eclipse.

Read more: Total lunar eclipse on July 27, 2018: Century’s longest eclipse, blood moon and what happens

Total lunar eclipse on July 27: Entire event will be visible in India

The total lunar eclipse and blood moon will play out in select regions of the world, as North America and the north-western parts of South America will not be able to witness the event. Most of Europe, western Africa, Australia, China, Japan and many parts of Siberia will witness portions of the eclipse.

Also Read: Lunar eclipse and blood moon: How to capture the best photos with your smartphone

Viewers in India will be able to witness the entire event, though some parts of the North-East might miss out on some of the action. The Middle East, west and central Asia, as well as major parts of Africa will join India in spotting these celestial phenomena. The blood moon and total lunar eclipse will being from 11.43 pm on July 27, and end on 5.34 am on July 28.