WATCH: Longest partial lunar eclipse video of the century

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Longest partial lunar eclipse video of the century (Image: Screengrab from video on YouTube by @Griffith Observatory)
Longest partial lunar eclipse video of the century (Image: Screengrab from video on YouTube by @Griffith Observatory)

New Delhi : The longest partial lunar eclipse of the century is now over and social media is now getting flooded with stunning pictures and videos of the phenomenon. What grabbed our attention is the time-lapse video of the eclipse made by the Griffith Observatory based in California. In the 58-second long video, the moon can be seen going through every phase of eclipse.

The lunar eclipse was a treat to watch for sky gazers as it was the last eclipse of 2021 and also the longest of the century and occurred for the first time after 580 years.

Last seen in the year 1440, the eclipse lasted 3 hours, 28 minutes, and 24 seconds and was visible from western Africa, Western Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Australia, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Majority of Indians missed the chance to watch the phenomenon as it was seen at 2.34 pm in India and was visible only in some areas of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam after sunset. Those who were lucky enough to experience it elsewhere must have observed a dark, rusty red coloured Moon also called "Beaver Moon" or "Blood Moon".

The red colour is caused by sunlight passing through Earth's atmosphere as the moon passes into its shadow for several hours, NASA explained.

Russian Space Agency Roscosmos shared pictures of the solar eclipse in its maximum phase. Sharing pictures on Twitter, the agency wrote: "These photographs from the International Space Station show the maximum phase of a partial (almost total) lunar eclipse![sic]."