Longest Partial Lunar Eclipse of The Century

On November 19, 2021 in the morning, several countries will witness the next eclipse of the moon. It will be the longest Partial lunar eclipse of the century.

Highlights

• It is going to be second lunar eclipse of 2021 and will be similar to the last one, that occurred on May 26.
• It is going to be the longest lunar eclipse in 580 years.
• The eclipse will last about 3 hours, 28 minutes and 23 seconds.
• 4% of the moon’s diameter will be immersed in the dark umbral shadow of Earth at maximum eclipse.

Which continents will observe the eclipse?

The partial lunar eclipse will be visible across Eastern Asia, Australia, North America, South America, and the Pacific Region. In India, a small part of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam will observe the partial eclipse. End part of the eclipse will be visible from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.

The Umbra

Umbra is the innermost and darkest part of a shadow. Here, the light source is completely blocked by occluding body. An observer within the umbra observes a total eclipse. The umbra of a round body which occludes a round light source forms a right circular cone. Distance from the Moon to the apex of its umbra is equal to distance between the Moon and Earth that is 384,402 km. As the diameter of Earth is 3.7 times the Moon’s diameter, its umbra extends correspondingly farther, that is around 1.4 million km.

Frost Moon

The full moon, that will be observed on November 19, is also known as the frost moon or beaver moon. Full moons in November have been named so, because this is the time of first snowfall and frost, while beavers start building their traps or dams.

Month: Current Affairs - November, 2021