Sabarmati: Today is the last Chandra Grahan (Lunar Eclipse) of 2022. It will also be the last total eclipse for the next three years. The eclipse will begin at 2.39 PM as per Indian standard time.

Today’s celestial event of eclipse is also called Beaver Blood Moon as the November’s full moon is called Beaver Moon.

The next lunar eclipse which will be visible from India is on 28^th October, 2023 is a partial eclipse. Last lunar eclipse which was visible from India was on 19 November, 2021 and it was a partial eclipse.

What is Chandra Grahan (Lunar Eclipse) ?

Chandra Grahan or Lunar Eclipse is the phenomenon that occurs when Earth comes in between Sun and Moon blocking sunlight from reaching the Moon partially or completely. During the Grahan the moon is fully covered under the earth’s  umbral shadow. The moon only receives light passing through earth’s atmosphere due to a phenomena called Rayleigh scattering. This is also the reason of Moon apperrig reddish during the eclipse.

As per the Hindu calendar the Chandra Grahan or lunar eclipse only falls on Purnima and this year the eclipse falls on Kartik, Shukla Paksha Purnima which is on November 8, 2022.

Timings of the Eclipse

In India the Grahan will begin at 2:39 PM on November 8, The total eclipse will start at 3:46 PM IST. The ending time of totality is 5:12 PM IST and the ending time of partial phase is 6:19 PM.

Timings of Sutak during the Chandra Grahan

As per the Hindu Religion the Sutak comes into force when the celestial event like Chandra or Surya Grahan occurs. This is considered as inauspicious period of time preceding the Grahan. As per the Hindu Panchang provided by Drikpanchang.com the Sutak will begin at 9:36 AM and will last till the end of lunar eclipse that is 6:19 PM.

Visibility in India and World

As per the Ministry of Earth Sciences in India, For the cities in eastern parts of the country, like Kolkata and Guwahati, at the time of Moonrise, the total phase of the eclipse will be in progress.

For the other cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai & Bengaluru, at the time of Moonrise, the partial eclipse after the end of totality will be in progress.

Regions of South America, North America, Australia, Asia, the North Atlantic Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean will also witness this eclipse.

Southern-western Europe and Africa continent will not be able to observe the eclipse.

Do’s and Don’ts during the Chandra Grahan

• One should not have any type of food items either solid or liquid during Sutak and Eclipse. However, restriction on kids, elders and sick people only apply for the time of Grahan.
• Pregnant women are should not venture out during eclipse. It is believed Rahu and Ketu can have malefic effects on unborn child.
• Doors of temples and pooja ghar remain close during the Sutak and no worship is allowed. But people can doe bhajan-kirtan to get rid of the negative energy
• It is advised to take bath after the Grahan is over and discard all pre eclipse cooked food.
• Food that cannot be discarded should by protected by putting Tulsi leaf in it.

How to observe Chandra Grahan (Lunar Eclipse)

The Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, California and Lowell observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona are hosting a Livestream of Grahan or lunar eclipse on their YouTube page and you can see this from the video embedded below.

A table relating to local circumstances of some places in India is appended separately for ready reference. (Source: Positional Astronomy Centre, Kolkata; India Meteorological Department)

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