In India, today the 10th January 2020 you will be able to watch it from 10.37 pm tonight till 2.42 am on January 11. During the Penumbral lunar eclipse, when this occurs, the sun, moon and earth are imperfectly aligned, and the Earth restricts or obstructs the sunlight from reaching the moon. The first celestial event of 2020, a penumbral lunar eclipse, will take place on January 10 and skywatchers will be able to witness the phenomenon from all corners of India.
Whenever an eclipse appears, it comes with a lot of precautions. According to experts, it is completely safe to look at a lunar eclipse with bare eyes. There are two phases of lunar eclipse: the partial phase, in which part of the moon passes through earth’s shadow, and a total lunar eclipse, in which the entire moon passes through the earth’s shadow. Experts say that there are no special glasses required to watch the lunar eclipse and it is safe to watch all the phases of the lunar eclipse.
In a normal lunar eclipse, the moon passes through the central part of the earth’s shadow called umbra, and one witnesses considerable darkening of the lunar disc. But in case of January 10 penumbral lunar eclipse there will be only a slight dimming of the lunar surface, the statement quoted Duari as saying. “To a naked eye it is sometimes a little difficult to recognise a penumbral lunar eclipse, though it is interesting to see the larger than usual appearance of the moon, and the shifts in shadow during the 4-hour period,” the renowned astrophysicist said. The penumbral lunar eclipse will also be visible from different countries in Asia, Africa, Australia and Europe, Debiprosad Duari said.
The lunar eclipse on Friday will be the first of four penumbral lunar eclipses that will take place this year, Debiprosad Duari said, adding, the other three penumbral lunar eclipses will occur on June 5, July 5 and November 30. The eclipse will begin at 10:37 pm on January 10 and will end around 2.42 am on January 11, director of M P Birla Planetarium, Debiprosad Duari, said in a statement.