Lunar Eclipse 2018: Time in India, Date, Where to Watch the Century’s Longest Total Lunar Eclipse

We will witness the longest lunar eclipse of the century on the night of Friday, July 27 2018, an event that will see the moon in the Earth’s shadow for a period of 1 hour 43 minutes. While this period is for the total lunar eclipse 2018, the duration of the eclipse - including the partial phases - will be over 6 hours. This eclipse will also be a Blood Moon, a phenomenon where the moon appears red in colour. India is among the best places to see the lunar eclipse 2018, along with the Middle East, southern China, and eastern Africa. For those unaware, a lunar eclipse is a phenomenon the moon passes behind the Earth and into its shadow, and sunlight is unable to reach it.  

Lunar eclipse 2018 date, time in India

The eclipse is estimated to start in India at 11:44pm IST on Friday night and the total lunar eclipse 2018 is expected to begin at 1am IST. From 1:15am to 2:43am, the moon will be in the middle of the Earth’s shadow and will appear reddish in colour. The eclipse will continue till 4:58am though the effect will not look as great.

The lunar eclipse happens when the Earth blocks the sunlight from reaching the moon
Photo Credit: iStockPhoto/ Jian

Where to watch lunar eclipse 2018 in India

Due to pollution, people in some metro cities in India may not be able to view the eclipse in its full glory, but those in the countryside should get a good view of the phenomenon. Cloudy skies, however, can block the view of the moon altogether. The Delta Aquariids meteor shower will also be visible to an extent — the meteor shower will be at its peak on July 30, but even on July 27 (the day of the eclipse), the lack of light from moon will allow us to somewhat spot the meteors.

What is so special about lunar eclipse July 2018
The July 2018 lunar eclipse will be the longest one till June 9, 2123. There are many factors for this, one being that the moon will be at the farthest point from Earth in its orbit. This will make the moon appear smaller than regular, and much smaller than it looks during the Super Moon (when the moon is at the closest point in its orbit from the Earth). In fact, this phenomenon of the moon appearing small is called micro moon. The moon in the lunar eclipse will also be passing through the middle of the Earth’s shadow, meaning it will spend the maximum time in darkness, thus contributing to the long duration of the eclipse.

What is a Blood Moon

The lunar eclipse 2018 will also be a Blood Moon
Photo Credit: YouTube/ Griffith Observatory

The lunar eclipse 2018 will also be a Blood Moon, where the moon will take a reddish hue. This happens because the sunlight refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere hits the darkened moon. Because the red wavelengths are scattered less than the blue and violet wavelengths, the moon appears red from our perspective.