A total lunar eclipse or Chandra Grahan occurred on 27-28 July for a duration of 1 hour 43 minutes – the longest this century, according to the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
Timing of the Lunar Eclipse 2018
The partial eclipse of the moon began at 11:54 pm Indian Standard Time on 27 July. The moon was gradually covered by the Earth's shadow and the total eclipse began at 1 am on 28 July.
The eclipse lasted up to 1 hour 43 minutes. Then the moon started to gradually come out of Earth's shadow, with the partial eclipse ending at 3:49 am IST on 28 July.
In this particular eclipse, the moon passed through the central part of the Earth's umbral shadow. Furthermore, the moon was at its farthest from the Earth in its orbit on 27 July and was moving at a slower speed in its orbit.
Such long duration of total lunar eclipses had earlier occurred on 16 July 2000 for a total duration of 1 hour 46 minutes, and another one on 15 June 2011 for a total duration of 1 hour 40 minutes.
Where All Was it Visible?
The entire lunar eclipse was visible from all parts of India. The eclipse was also visible in the region covering Australia, Asia, Russia, Europe, east of South America, and Antarctica.
For people who fervently follow celestial events, this was a good opportunity to watch the blood moon or lunar eclipse because the next total lunar eclipse is slated to take place only ten years later on 31 December 2028.
The Mars Opposition
On 27 July, the red planet Mars, was also at opposition, meaning that the Sun and Mars lay opposite to each other, with the Earth in the middle.
This will result in Mars coming close to the Earth, causing it to appear brighter than normal towards the end of July. The brighter Mars remained very close to the eclipsed Moon in the sky on 27-28 July and could be spotted very easily with the naked eye.
However, the red planet will reach closest to the Earth on 31 July. The planet Mars comes at opposition at an average interval of 2 years and 2 months when the planet comes close to the Earth and becomes brighter.
Mars opposition that had occurred in August 2003 brought the two planets at the closest distance in approximately 60,000 years. The approach of Mars on 31 July will bring the two planets close once again and Mars will be seen at its brightest since 2003.
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