The year 2020 will witness four lunar eclipses. The first penumbral lunar eclipse of 2020 is the ‘Wolf Moon Eclipse’ which will be seen on 10th January. A lunar eclipse is an astrological phenomenon where the Earth blocks sunlight from reaching the Moon, either partially or totally.
The Wolf Moon Eclipse will be visible from all over India. It can be seen in Asia, Africa, Europe and Australia.
Why is it called the ‘Wolf Moon eclipse’?
This eclipse is a penumbral eclipse which is difficult to observe since it is darker. This phenomenon takes place when the Sun, the Earth and the Moon do not form a perfectly straight line.
A penumbral lunar eclipse happens when the moon passes through the Earth’s outer shadow, known as the penumbra, and misses the darker inner shadow, known as the umbra. As a result, only part of the moon turns dark as opposed to a total lunar eclipse when the entire moon goes dark before turning a dark red or rusty orange color.
According to myths and legends, wolves howl at the full moon in the month of January, hence the nickname ‘wolf eclipse’.
Lunar eclipse timing in India:
According to timeanddate.com, the eclipse will begin on 10th January 2020 at 5:07 pm and end at 10:37 pm. The maximum eclipse will begin on 10th January at 7:10 pm and end on 11th January at 12:40 am. The Penumbral Eclipse will end at 9:12 pm on 10th January. It will last for 4 hours and 5 minutes.
The next lunar eclipses in 2020 will occur on 5th June, 5th July and 30th November. To read more about them see: The coming year will see two solar eclipses; check dates and time in India
Where to watch the Wolf Moon eclipse:
No special equipment is required to watch the penumbral lunar eclipse. It can be viewed from the naked eye across the country if the weather is clear.
It can be viewed live on YouTube here: