At midnight tonight, one can catch the year’s last lunar eclipse visible from India. The eclipse can be seen from South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.

 In India, the partial eclipse will be visible at around 12.15 am, on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday.

This will be lasting for nearly three hours and will be followed by the ‘maximum eclipse’, which will be from 3 am to 5.30 am IST. The duration of the eclipse is of 5 hours and 34 minutes. This will be the last lunar eclipse of 2019 that can be viewed from India. It is expected that the residents of Nagpur will be able to see nearly 40% of the eclipsed moon.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon. The shadow has two parts to it. The umbra is the central part and the penumbra is the outer part. When the Moon gets completely covered by the umbra, it is known as a total eclipse. When it is partially covered by the umbra and penumbra, there is a partial eclipse.

When only the penumbra is cast on the Moon, it is known as a penumbral eclipse. The next penumbral eclipse will occur on January 10, 2020 and three more times through out the year. However, the next total lunar eclipse will be visible only in 26th May of 2021. A partial lunar eclipse can be seen on November 19, 2021.

Authorities have stressed that it is completely safe to look at tonight’s lunar eclipse, and that people can watch it from the comfort of their homes.