Hyderabad: This year’s total lunar eclipse was a spectacular event, not just in the sense that it happened to coincide with Holi, but also because the Hyderabadis were able to witness a full 26-minute view of the blood moon on Tuesday, March 3.
The celestial event began at around 6.22 pm, just around the time when the sirens for iftar were sounded.
As the moon passed through the Earth’s umbra (its dark inner shadow), its surface glowed in a coppery-red colour as sunlight filtered through Earth’s atmosphere. That was the blood moon witnessed by the people living around Hyderabad.
The eclipse was visible from most parts of India, barring some regions in the extreme west. In contrast, parts of northeastern India and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands witnessed the end of the totality phase, as the moon rose earlier in those areas.
The total lunar eclipse was also visible in parts of eastern Asia, the Pacific Ocean, Australia and the Americas.
The temples in Hyderabad remained closed since Tuesday morning, and will be opened only after they are properly cleaned, performing rites in the Hindu tradition.
The superstition among the people that witnessing a lunar eclipse by pregnant women and children brings bad luck was also quite visible, as the terraces of most of the buildings were empty during the evening.
However, there were also those who took their children to flyovers and high-altitude areas to get the best glimpse of the event, which occurs only once every few years.
The next lunar eclipse to be visible from India will be on July 6, 2028, and will be a partial lunar eclipse. Interestingly, the next total lunar eclipse will take place on the intervening night of December 31, 2028, and January 1, 2029.
