Partial lunar eclipse 2019: A three-hour long partial lunar eclipse (ardh chandra grahan) will be visible on July 16 and July 17 across the country, when the Earth will move between the sun and the moon.

The eclipse will start around 1.31 am on Wednesday, July 17, said the research and academic director of M P Birla Planetarium. However, skywatchers can see the best visuals of moon, when it will look the darkest, at around 3 am on Wednesday.

The celestial phenomenon will be visible on the sky till 4:29 a.m , that is almost throughout the night.

Tonight, only  part of moon will pass the Earth's shadow but around 3:00a.m onward 65 per cent of the moon's diameter will be under the shadow of the Earth.

What is partial lunar eclipse (ardh chandra grahan)?

A partial lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth moves between the sun and the moon but they are not precisely aligned. Only a part of moon's visible surface moves into the dark part of the Earth's shadow, called the Umbra, while the rest of part of the moon is covered by the outer part of the Earth's shadow, known as Penumbra.  The partial lunar eclipse occurs only on the night of full moon.

Time and place to watch partial lunar eclipse (ardh chandra grahan)

The partial lunar eclipse will occur around IST 1:31 a.m to 4:29 a.m. on July 18. The partial lunar eclipse visuals will be more clear in the less polluted areas with least artificial lights.

Unlike solar eclipse, lunar eclipse are completely safe to view with the naked eye. However,  monsoon cloud can play spoilsport for people who wish to enjoy the event. Not to worry, website Timeanddate.com will provide  live streaming of the partial lunar eclipse.

The event will also be visible to people of South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.

India will witness the next total lunar eclipse on May 26, 2021.