The Hindu : New Delhi News : Special arrangements for lunar eclipse today

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 07, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Special arrangements for lunar eclipse today

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Nehru Planetarium at Teen Murti here has made special arrangements for public viewing of the partial lunar eclipse that will occur on Thursday after sunset.

Voluntary organisations -- Science Popularisation Association of Communicators and Educators (SPACE) and Amateur Astronomers Association -- will also be conducting a public sky-watch at the same venue to help visitors locate different formations on the moon.

A partial eclipse of the moon will be visible from all parts of the country. The almost 90-minute celestial event can be watched safely with the naked eye.

In India, the eclipse will begin at 11-35 p.m. and end at 1-07 a.m. "A very small fraction of the moon is falling under the shadow of the earth. Interestingly, it is a long duration eclipse as the moon is presently closer to the earth," said Nehru Planetarium Director N. Rathnasree on Wednesday.

However, the viewing will not be perfect with the naked eye and stargazers will require good telescopes to see it. Only a small fraction of the moon will appear dark during the 93 minutes of the event. Unlike the solar eclipse, the period of the event will be uniform across the country.

Interestingly, while the eclipse is in progress, a faint star named "H Aquarius" (from the Aquarius constellation) can be seen moving behind the moon and reappearing from the other side.

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