On that afternoon, the partial eclipse of the moon will begin around 2.39pm. The eclipse will reach its totality phase around 3.46pm. The eclipse in terms of the darkness of the moon will be maximum, at 4.29pm when the moon will be deep inside the shadow of the earth. The total eclipse will end around 5.11pm and the partial eclipse will end around 6.19pm.
Kolkata and other parts of east and north-east India will experience the total phase of the lunar eclipse. “In Kolkata, the moon will start rising from the eastern horizon around 4.52pm and will be completely visible by 4.54pm. Sky-lovers and eclipse enthusiasts will have the opportunity till 5.11pm to see the total lunar eclipse. Afterwards, the moon will enter the partial eclipse phase and will become more illuminated as time progresses,” said Institute of Astronomy Space and Earth Science, Kolkata, director Debiprosad Duari.
Though the eclipse will be visible from all parts of India from the moonrise time, the beginning phase of partial and total eclipse will not be visible from everywhere because it will be underway when the moon is below the horizon in many places in India.
Cities in the north-east like Kohima, Agartala and Guwahati will observe the total eclipse earlier than Kolkata because of their position. In Kohima, the eclipse at its maximum phase can be observed at around 4.29pm, when the moon will cross the darkest part of the earth’s shadow.
New Delhi will experience a partial eclipse from moonrise around 5.31pm with 66% obscuration of the moon since the total phase of the eclipse has already ended by then at 5.11pm. Mumbai will observe the eclipse at moonrise around 6.03pm with only 14% obscuration.
