Chandra Grahan or Lunar Eclipse 2020: India Timings, Duration, Precautions

New Delhi : The first lunar eclipse of 2020 is all set for Friday night (January 10) and the phenomenon can be seen from all corners of the nation. 

This lunar eclipse will be penumbral, meaning that the Earth will block some of the sunlight from reaching the moon and only the outer shadow (the penumbra) will fall on the moon. The January 10 lunar eclipse will coincide with the full Moon.

While, it will be clearly visible in India, the US will miss this as there will be daytime. Countries across Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, will be able to see it.

What is penumbral lunar eclipse:

In a normal lunar eclipse, the moon passes through the central part of the earth’s shadow called umbra, and one witnesses considerable darkening of the lunar disc. But in case of January 10 penumbral lunar eclipse, there will be only a slight dimming of the lunar surface.

"To a naked eye it is sometimes a little difficult to recognise a penumbral lunar eclipse, though it is interesting to see the larger than usual appearance of the moon, and the shifts in shadow during the 4-hour period," the Director of M P Birla Planetarium, Debiprosad Duari said.

Where can you see it

Due to bad weather conditions in North India, people may face difficulties in watching it from there but people in South India would be able to see it better. 

Time in India and Duration

The eclipse will begin at 10.37 pm on January 10 and will end around 2.42 am on January 11. The full visual impact of the Chandra Grahan could be seen at around 12:41 am. During this time almost 90 per cent of the moon will be covered by the partial shadow region of the Earth.

The total duration of the Lunar Eclipse would be 4 hours and 5 minutes.

Next Lunar Eclipse

After January 10, the next three penumbral lunar eclipses of the year will take place on June 5, July 5 and November 30.

Precautions and Measures

For the lunar eclipse, one must not need and special instrument like it was needed during the solar eclipse. There will be no harm to your eyes, you can watch it with naked eyes and no special glasses will be required to watch the eclipse.

However, you’ll require a telescope to get a truly clear view.