Chandra Grahan 2020 : 5th July in India

This year's third lunar eclipse is on 5th July in India, the first lunar eclipse took place on January & second on June. Consecutively this is a third lunar eclipse in this year 2020.

How will the lunar eclipse impact in India?

The lunar eclipse that was on 5th July from 8.37 am to  11.22 am is on Guru Purnima festival. It was strongest at 9.59 am.

This is a bountiful(penumbral) lunar eclipse for India, this happens when there is a shadow between earth, sun & moon but they are not align in a line. So the shadow covers almost entire moon leaving bit of its surface. The moon reaches the earth's outer shadow.

The earth's shadow cast by the sun has two parts: 

umbra : darkest part of the earth's shadow

If you are located at a place facing the umbra, you cannot see the Sun at all.

penumbra : much lighter part of the earth's shadow

Here, only part of the Sun is blocked from view

Whenever the earth,moon & sun line up,its either a new moon or full moon also called as syzygy

If the moon's orbit around the earth is exactly the same orbit around the sun, we would see a lunar eclipse at every full moon. But the moon's orbit is inclined by 5 degrees to earth's orbital plane. This means the moon continuously cycles above & below earth's orbital plane.

If the moon crosses the earth's orbital plane at syzygy when its full moon, this full moon enters earth's umbra completely and we get total lunar eclipse.

If the full moon is bit further from earth's orbital plane, part of it enters the earth's umbra, its partial lunar eclipse.

When full moon misses the earth's umbra but passes through the penumbra, this is penumbral lunar eclipse.

This lunar eclipse was of 2 hours, 43 minutes & 24 seconds and occurred after sun rise so most of the parts in India cannot see the eclipse. 

They can happily do puja of Guru Purnima. This eclipse will most probably be seen in America, Australia, Pacific & Antarctica.

Thus the moon seen from these areas will barely darken and not appear as red as it does at full lunar eclipse.

As seen from Arizona, 

Moon-rise : 7.41 pm

Eclipse begins : 8.07 pm

Maximum eclipse : 9.30 pm

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