Final lunar eclipse of 2020 on Nov 30; check for time, other details

In a piece of exciting news for the stargazers, the last lunar eclipse of the year will be witnessed on November 30. This will be the fourth lunar eclipse of 2020 and coincides with the auspicious day of Kartik Purnima.

A lunar eclipse is one of the most exciting celestial events, which takes place when the earth comes between the sun and the moon. During such an event, the earth's shadow blocks the sun's light from reaching the moon.

As per the Indian Standard Time, the lunar eclipse will begin at around 1:02 pm and come to an end 5:23 pm. It will be at its peak at 3:12 pm. The total time duration of the eclipse is 4 hours and 21 minutes.

Since the moon will be below the horizon at that time, only part of the eclipse will be visible from India.

The upcoming lunar eclipse will be penumbral, which means that the shade of the moon will turn darker for a few hours. During a penumbral lunar eclipse, the earth only partially blocks the light of the sun to reach the moon directly. Penumbra refers to the outer shadow of the earth.

When the time and date are considered, this final penumbral eclipse of the year will only be witnessed from Australia, North America, South America, and some parts of Asia.

Those who would witness the lunar eclipse can see more than 80 per cent of the full moon turn a shade darker during the maximum phase of the eclipse.

A lunar eclipse can be of three types. Apart from the penumbral lunar eclipse, there is a total lunar eclipse and a partial lunar eclipse.