India to witness partial Chandra Grahan today, 10 interesting facts about the eclipse here

India is all set to witness a partial lunar eclipse or Chandra Grahan at around 10.52 PM on Monday night in the auspicious Hindu month of Shravan. 

This can occur only when the sun, Earth, and moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, a lunar eclipse can occur only the night of a full moon.The partial lunar eclipse will be visible with the naked eye. For a better view, SPACE India will set up a special telescope at DLF Cyber city and Leisure valley Park for free.

While it is a beautiful sight to witness and enjoy there are also various surprising facts about the eclipse.

1. Lunar eclipses only occur during a full moon

When the moon is opposite the sun, with the Earth in between casting its shadow on the moon, a lunar eclipse occurs. We don't have a lunar eclipse at the full moon each month because the moon's orbit is tilted 5 degrees more than the Earth's orbit.

2. 'Syzygy' is the term when the Earth, sun and moon align

In fact, it's the term for when any three bodies line up in space. It comes from the Greek word syzgia, which means "yoked together," and it's pronounced like "sizigee."

3. There are three types of lunar eclipse

A lunar eclipse can be total, partial or penumbral. A total eclipse happens when the shadow of the Earth fully covers the moon. A partial eclipse (pictured above) is when the Earth’s shadow covers just a portion of the moon. A penumbral eclipse involves the Earth’s lighter outer shadow (penumbra) covers the moon. Penumbral shadows often go unnoticed by casual sky watchers.

During a total lunar eclipse, the moon will go through partial eclipses on either side of totality.

Also Read: Raksha Bandhan: Know how lunar eclipse will affect festival, muhurat

4. 'Totality' is the term for when the moon is completely darkened. This can only happen during a total lunar eclipse

5. You could see a lunar eclipse from the moon

However, if you were standing on the moon, it's the Earth that would be dark because the sun would be behind it.

6. Refraction causes the moon to look red during an eclipse

The moon looks reddish, often called a blood moon, during an eclipse because of the way light is refracted in the Earth's atmosphere. This is called Rayleigh scattering, which is the same reason why sunsets and sunrises are reddish in color.
The exact color of the moon is also influenced by the particles in the Earth’s atmosphere at the time of the event.

7. Lunar eclipses have time limits

Of course, lunar eclipses don't last forever, but more specifically, lunar eclipses cannot last longer than 3 hours and 40 minutes, according to the National Maritime Museum in London. Also, totality can only last for up to 1 hour and 40 minutes. Some can be much shorter. This is due to the shape of the Earth's shadow. It's cone-shaped, so depending on where the moon is traveling within the shadow, the time it takes to get out of the shadow varies.

Also Read: Partial lunar eclipse will visible on Monday night in India

8. Eclipses will be different in a several million to a few billion years

According to SPACE.com, the moon moves away from the Earth at a rate of 1.6 inches each year. This will eventually cause a change in the way the Earth’s shadow appears on the face of the moon.

9. Christopher Columbus once used his knowledge of lunar eclipses to get out of a jam

After being marooned in Jamaica, Columbus used a lunar eclipse to get back into the good graces with the native Arawak people. He used his knowledge of the moon and of lunar eclipses, not to mention a handy almanac that predicted the eclipse of Feb. 29, 1504. He took this information to the chief. Instead of presenting the science, though, Columbus claimed that his god was angry with the travelers' mistreatment. Sure enough, the total eclipse occurred, and out of fear of Columbus and his angry god, the Arawak people went back to taking care of the stranded visitors.

Also Read: Total Solar Eclipse 2017: Everything you need to know!

10. Lunar eclipse has an effect on your Zodiac signs

This year the lunar eclipse will bring good news for people with Aries, Leo, Virgo, and Pisces zodiac signs. People with these sun signs will witness improvement in the field of jobs, marriage, money and children. On the other hand, Capricorn, Gemini, Libra and Aquarius may face some problems and issues.