Treat for sky-gazers: Total lunar eclipse today

HYDERABAD: A total lunar eclipse will take place on Saturday between 5.02 pm and 11.02 pm. This will be the last of the two total lunar eclipses in 2011, the first having occurred on June 15.
People can witness the spectacular and rare view of the moon entering earth’s shadow followed by the gradual darkening of the moon’s disk and finally the celestial body returning to full brightness.Experts said that there is no need to take any precautions for the eclipse which can be viewed with the naked eye. The eclipse is over Rohini Nakshatra and moon sign Taurus. Saturday’s eclipse would be the last total lunar eclipse till 2014.
Scientists said that technically, the eclipse begins at 5.02pm although nothing significant can be seen until the moon enters the region of total shadow or umbra, at 6.15pm. The darkening of the moon’s disk can be seen from 6.15pm till 7.35pm as total eclipse happens. This would continue till 8.28pm when the moon begins to leave the total shadow. It would continue to be partially eclipsed till about 9.48pm. During this period, the moon would continue to climb in the eastern sky.
BG Sidharth, director, Birla Planetarium, explained that a total lunar eclipse occurs when earth comes in between the sun and the moon, making the shadow of the planet fall on its satellite. This can happen only on a full moon day. “Although we expect that the moon is completely eclipsed or blacked out, actually it continues to be visible during the eclipse with a faint reddish-brown hue. This is because the rays of the sun, instead of being completely blocked by earth, partly pass through the planet’s atmosphere,” Siddharth said.