Kolkata: This year`s second total lunar eclipse on December 10 will be a wonderful opportunity for viewers in India to witness the 51-minute celestial event.
"It will be a wonderful opportunity to view this total lunar eclipse since around the time of eclipse, the moon will be near the zenith. The total eclipse will continue till 8.28 pm, making it a total eclipse of 51 minutes," M P Birla Planetarium Director D P Duari told PTI here.
He said, in Kolkata and elsewhere in India, the moon will start getting under the earth`s shadow at around 6.15 pm.
The total eclipse will begin from 7.36 pm and will last till 8.28 pm. It will end around 9.48 pm.
It will be visible from Asia and Australia, but not South America or Antarctica.
Observers throughout Europe and Africa will miss the early eclipse phases as they occur before moonrise. The last lunar eclipse visible from India was also a total one on June 15, 2011, but clouds disappointed skygazers.
The next total lunar eclipse visible in its entirety from India will only be after another seven years on July 27, 2018.
Though there will be another total lunar eclipse on January 31, 2018 which Indians will not be able to view in its entirety, Duari added.
PTI