The side of the Moon we see from the Earth as imaged by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. (NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University)
Chandra grahan in India, Lunar eclipse 2023 live: The penumbral lunar eclipse happening tonight (May 5) should technically be visible to viewers in India, unlike the solar eclipse that happened on April 20. But it could be a little difficult to spot since it is a penumbral eclipse.
All eclipses begin and end as penumbral eclipses. But during an eclipse, if the Moon passes through the dark part of the Earth’s shadow (umbra), it turns into either a partial or a total eclipse, where one part of or the entire Moon will be completely obscured. But that is not the case tonight.
During tonight’s lunar eclipse, the Moon will only pass through the faint outer edges of the Earth’s shadow (the penumbra). This means that the only visible change will be that the disc of Earth’s lone natural satellite will be almost imperceptibly dimmed.
For viewers in New Delhi, the eclipse will start at 8.45 PM IST on May 5 and will go on till 1.02 AM IST on May 5, according to the astronomy guide website In The Sky. It should be visible in all regions of the world where the moon will be above the horizon during the eclipse. This includes Antarctica, Asia, Russia, Africa and Oceania.
You can also live stream the eclipse through the window below.
Live Blog
The penumbral lunar eclipse might be a little difficult to notice but you might be able to catch a glimpse of a dark brown shadow over the Moon at the time of the greatest eclipse.
