A partial lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon partially passes through Earth’s shadow, causing only part of it to turn reddish-brown. And luckily for selenophiles, this rare and beautiful astronomical event is happening in October this year. And it will match with this one. Hindu festival of Sharad Purnima, also known as Kojagari Purnima or Kaumudi Purnima.
Sharad Purnima usually falls on the full moon day of the Hindu lunar month Ashwin, which usually occurs in October, while the partial lunar eclipse will be seen from wherever the Moon is above the horizon, including Asia, Russia, Africa, America, Europe, and Asia. Antarctica, Oceania, Nepal, Pakistan, Mauritius, Singapore and it will be visible in the south-western sky from New Delhi.
Sharad Purnima is celebrated by the Hindu community in India to mark the brightest and fullest moon of the year and it is believed that on this night, when the moon is particularly beautiful and brings radiance to the earth, Lakshmi comes to those performing the rituals.
She comes to bless the devotees. In their honor while others celebrate the eternal love of Krishna and Radha. In Gujarat, Sharad Purnima is more known as Sharad Poonam whereas in Brij region it is also known as Raas Purnima.
Date and time:
In India, some popular cities where the partial lunar eclipse will be visible include New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Varanasi. Sutak period will start at 02:52 PM on October 28 and end at 02:22 AM and as per Drik Panchang, the lunar eclipse will start at 01:06 AM and end at 02:22 AM.
Check date and time details as per Drik Panchang below:
- Lunar eclipse starts – 01:06 AM
- Lunar eclipse ends – 02:22 AM
- Local eclipse duration – 01 hour 16 minutes 16 seconds
- First contact with Penumbra – 11:32 pm, October 28.
- First contact with Umbra is scheduled to occur at 01:06 AM on October 29.
- Last contact with Umbra will be at 02:22 AM.
- Last contact with Penumbra will be at 03:55 AM.
- Maximum extent of lunar eclipse- 01:44 AM
- Partial phase duration – 01 hr 16 min 16 sec
- Duration of penumbra phase – 04 hours 23 minutes 07 seconds
- Magnitude of lunar eclipse – 0.12
- Magnitude of Penumbral Lunar Eclipse – 1.12
- Sutak Start – 02:52 PM, 28 October
- Sutak ends – 02:22 AM
- Sutak for children, old and sick starts – 08:52 pm, 28 October
- Sutak ends for children, old and sick – 02:22 AM
Custom:
During Sharad Purnima it is a common tradition for Hindus to spend the night outside, gazing at the full moon and participating in cultural activities such as singing, dancing and offering milk, rice and special sweets to the moon as a sign of respect and devotion.
Many people, especially women, observe fast on Sharad Purnima and stay awake all night and consume special food or dishes made of milk and rice, while kheer or sweet rice pudding is a traditional dish prepared on Sharad Purnima.
This is done and left in the moonlight all night. Then, it is distributed among the family members in the morning as Prasad, which is believed to energize and strengthen the moonlight.