Los Angeles: Once in a blue moon there is one on New Year`s Eve. Revelers ringing in 2010 were treated to a so-called blue moon. According to popular definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a month. But don`t expect it to be blue — the name has nothing to do with the colour of our closest celestial neighbour.
Partial lunar eclipse in the night sky
Avid sky watchers were in for
a treat as a partial lunar eclipse occurred in the night sky
theatre today.
The earth`s shadow swept past the moon turning a
yellow shining full moon into a dim red one.
The awesome spectacle of the moon being eclipsed was
visible all over the country, including the national capital.
A partial lunar eclipse occurs when only part of the
Moon passes through the umbra, or darkest part, of Earth`s
shadow, Science Popularisation Association of Communicators
and Educators (SPACE) Director C B Devgun told PTI.
As the earth came in between the sun and the moon, its
shadow first began sweeping across the moon blocking out much
of its bright light and as the shadow descended gently, the
moon`s face turned red.
The Moon entered the penumbra at 10:47 pm, Nehru
Planetarium Director N Rathnasree told PTI.
The partial eclipse will start at 00:22:43 AM on
January 1, 2010 and will end at 01:22:41 AM, she said.
The magnitude of the eclipse will be 0.082.
The astronomical event will also be observed in all of
Asia and Europe, major parts of Africa and small portion of
south western Australia, Devgun said.
The beginning, the middle and the ending of the
eclipse will be visible from all parts of India, he said.
The year saw three penumbral lunar eclipses on
February 9, July 7 and August 6.
The last time a lunar eclipse took place on a New Year
day was in the year 1741, Prof R C Kapoor of Indain Institute
of Astro Physics told
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