Why is lunar eclipse 2021 known as blood moon? All you need to know and timings

On Friday, November 19, 2021, the second and final lunar eclipse of the year will occur. For the first time in 580 years, the longest partial lunar eclipse will be visible from regions of Northeast India shortly after the moonrise. The "Super Flower Blood Moon," which occurred on May 26, was the previous lunar eclipse. The eclipse will be 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.

Lunar Eclipse 2021? Date & timing for India and United States

• Start time: 12:48 IST
• End time: 16:17 IST

The partial lunar eclipse will be visible in California from 10:02 p.m. on November 18 until 04:03 a.m. on November 19, 2021. On November 19, 2021, people in New York and Miami will be able to watch the eclipse from 10:02 p.m. to 04:03 a.m. The maximum eclipse, sometimes known as a "blood moon," will occur between 04:02 and 05:47 p.m. The Earth's shadow will cover 97% of the Moon at the maximum partial eclipse, which will occur at 14:34 IST. On Friday, the partial eclipse will last 3 hours, 28 minutes, and 24 seconds, making it the longest eclipse in nearly 600 years in the twenty-first century. The last such long partial eclipse occurred on February 18, 1440, and the next one is expected on February 8, 2669.

Why is the 2021 lunar eclipse known as the blood moon? 

The Earth's shadow will cover 97% of the full moon, hiding the majority of the sun's light and turning it a dark, rusty red colour. According to the Holcomb Observatory at Butler University in Indiana, it will be the longest partial lunar eclipse in 580 years. The almost-total eclipse of the Micro Beaver Full Moon is expected to last 3 hours, 28 minutes, and 23 seconds, according to NASA. It will start at 2:19 a.m. EST (7:19 a.m. UTC), peak around 4 a.m. EST (9 a.m. UTC), and end around 5:47 a.m. EST (10:47 a.m. UTC). The Micro Beaver Moon is named for the fact that it happens just before the beaver-trapping season and when the moon is closest to Earth. According to NASA, it's termed a blood moon because of the reddish tint it takes on during the eclipse. The red colour is caused by sunlight passing through Earth's atmosphere as the moon passes into its shadow for several hours.

(IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK)