Astronomy lovers and sky observers have a delightful spectacle to witness in the month of July. Towards the end of this month, there will be a lunar eclipse, the longest one of this century along with a blood moon. The Earth's satellite will appear partly reddish blue on July 27 and can be witnessed from different parts of the country. The entire lunar eclipse will last for an hour and 43 minutes following a partial eclipse for another hour.

While stargazers in most of the countries cannot view both the eclipses one after another, the residents of Indian sub-continent can see it clearly with a naked eye. NASA has said the Blood Moon lunar eclipse phenomenon will be not only the longest one of the century but is just four minutes short to be the longest lunar eclipse to have ever been seen from Earth. Know what is the blood moon?

Blood Moon 2018 date and timings IST: 

The partial eclipse of the blood moon will start at 11:54 pm IST on July 27. The total eclipse would start at 1.00 am July 28. According to a report from scientists, the moon will be at the darkest stage at 1:52 am July 28. The phase will go on till 2.43 am. The partial eclipse of the moon will go in till 3.49 am, July 28.

Places to watch the Blood Moon 2018:

People from all Indian cities can watch the Blood Moon lunar eclipse, both in its partial and total phases. Other than India, countries of South America, Africa, Middle East and Central Asia can also see the blood moon. It is no harm to watch the spectacle with a naked eye.

Interesting things about the Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse:

During the total lunar eclipse, the moon passes through the central part of the Earth's shadow. On July 27, the moon will orbit around the farthest point from the Earth, it is also the smallest full moon of the year.

The moon's disc will be colourful during this entire phenomenon. The moon will take shades from right orange to blood red. It can also go from dark brown to very dark gray. The colours will depend on its path of passing through the shadow of the Earth.

The last lunar eclipse was held earlier on January 31, this year. The next total lunar eclipse will be seen on January 21, 2019. So if you are looking to witness the phenomenon, you will have to wait for a year so rather stay up the night of July 27- July 28 to watch the moon taking the glory of the sky.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 04, 2018 01:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).