'Beaver blood Moon' total lunar eclipse 2022: What you need to know

The total lunar eclipse taking place on Tuesday (October 9) is not just another celestial event. Because next one is slated to take place after three years in 2025. Astronomers, amateur and professional, have their lenses glued to the sky to observe the 'Beaver blood moon'.

So what is this eclipse business?

A lunar eclipse takes place when Earth comes between Sun and the Moon and its shadow falls on the Moon. Depending on the extent of coverage of the lunar disc, the eclipse can be total, partial or penumbral. Total eclipse is when the lunar disc is covered to the maximum extent.

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Does it mean that Moon will go totally black?

Nope. Even in the total lunar eclipse, some sunlight, refracted from Earth's atmosphere, still reaches the Moon. But then the mostly covered lunar disc appears red, hence the term 'blood moon'.

Are total lunar eclipses rare?

As per NASA, total lunar eclipses occur, on average, every one and half years. But this interval varies. Today's lunar eclipse will be this year's second and the next will not take place before the year 2025.

Which regions of the world will the lunar eclipse be visible from?

Tuesday's eclipse will be visible across eastern Asia, Australia, the Pacific and North America. Skywatchers in Asia and Australia will see it with their evening moonrise, while the spectacle will play out for observers in North America in the early morning hours before the moon sets. It will be visible to the naked eye wherever skies are clear in those regions.

What about India?

Cities like Agartala, Kohima, Kolkata, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Siliguri, Patna and Ranchi will get to see the total eclipse while cities like Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Noida, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Surat, Pune, Jaipur, Lucknow, Madurai and Udaipur will get to see partial eclipse.

Whenis the lunar eclipse?

The lunareclipse will begin at 09:17 GMT and will end at 10:42 GMT.

Why is the eclipse being referred to as 'beaver moon'?

Tuesday's event will coincide with the "Beaver moon," a moniker for November's full moon adopted by the Old Farmer's Almanac supposedly from Algonquian languages once spoken by Native Americans in the New England territory. When combined with the phenomena of a total lunar eclipse, it is widely referred to as a "Beaver blood moon" in the United States.

(With inputs from agencies)

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