With telescopes and professional equipment, Mumbaikars who visited the planetarium could watch the eclipse while others watching the phenomena on their own had to make to do with just a glimpse of the pink moon and red skies.
A blushing moon is a sight that India saw four decades ago and the next one may not happen for another four decades. People across the globe wanted to experience the total lunar eclipse last night with much enthusiasm, shunning superstition attached to the celestial phenomenon.
Raksha Mallya, a 21-year-old media professional residing in Dahisar, decided to make a picnic out of the event by camping on the building terrace along with her sister and a friend wanting to experience and photograph the eclipsed moon. “At around 12.45am the sky turned red and we managed to see the pinkish moon at around 1am, but suddenly at 1.15am there was a cloud cover and it started raining,” says Mallya who was forced to go indoors thanks to the disappointing weather.
In south Mumbai, 52-year-old Sushila Pereira wanted to experience the phenomenon with her 15-year-old daughter. Her daughter heard about the eclipse in school and wanted to catch it. Her story isn’t too different from Mallya’s. “We saw a red sky and then it started pouring. It was disappointing to miss the full eclipse,” she said.
The Nehru Planetarium had organised telescopes for people to experience the eclipse last night and the response was phenomenal. Suhas B Naik-Satam, programme coordinator, Nehru Planetarium, told DNA that he was delighted to see about 100 people turn up to watch the eclipse. “Irrespective of the weather conditions, people came in after 11.30pm and some even stayed through the three hour period that the phenomenon lasted.”
While the media also stayed camped at the Planetarium, Naik-Satam was surprised to see school children who turned up with their parents.
Attributing the fantastic response to the hype generated by the media, Naik-Satam said the hype was uncalled for.
“The media plays an important role during celestial events like these happen. They get astrologers to comment on it which I think is unnecessary as reasons behind these astronomical happenings are scientific and well-known. There are eclipses every six months and I see no reason why they should be hyped,” he explained.
With telescopes and professional equipment, Mumbaikars who visited the planetarium could watch the eclipse while others watching the phenomena on their own had to make to do with just a glimpse of the pink moon and red skies.
Enthusiasts in Hyderabad were lucky this time though. Saket Mani, an 18-year-old student and an ardent eclipse watcher has been disappointed by the weather in the past, but last night he managed to get a glimpse at the moon. “Even though it was little cloudy, I saw it through the clouds! It rained before but by 12, the sky was almost clear and I got to see the eclipse till 3/4th of moon went dark. I have seen scores of eclipses with the naked eye, but since I saw a total one for first time I was thrilled. The only thing I regret was not having a telescope!” he said
While Saket got a cloudy glimpse at the moon, Mohit Chaturvedi, 25-year-old IT professional in Delhi managed to catch an absolutely clear view in the capital. “At around 1am we saw a lovely ring being formed around the moon. We were very surprised that it was so clear. It was a beautiful sight. The eclipse was very clear and it was the first time I saw an eclipse live with my own eyes, otherwise I have always seen it on TV,” he said.
For those who missed it, you can always plan a trip to the planetarium for the next total lunar eclipse. Mark your calendars for 6 June, 2058!
The Mumbai MET department was unavailable for comment.
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