Thaindian News

By Ranjan Bhaduri
Dec 21, (THAINDIAN NEWS) The lunar eclipse that is in progress has made the stargazers excited as it is going to be a full eclipse. However, this season’s full lunar eclipse could give them a miss if the weather turns out to be truant, warned the weather experts. Since the eclipse was going to happen just ahead of the Christmas some people were also calling it a Christmas eclipse. This was the second eclipse of the year but actually it is the first full lunar eclipse after 2008. What made it even more special is the fact it was the first eclipse to take place on Winter solstice after 1638. The moon was predicted to turn dark red during the much awaited event. NASA said it will assume dark hue owing to the recent volcanic eruptions at Indonesia’s Mount Merapi. The ash and fumes might block the ray of the sun and give it a dark tone.

The moon can be viewed best during the full eclipse a little after midnight at Beverly Hills, the astronomers had said. The southern parts of California were said to be best positioned to view the lunar eclipse. The sky was cloudy in some areas and the residents were worried they may not witness the celestial phenomenon in its glory. However, in Cornwall the residents were happy to see the full eclipse without much problem.

Those who missed out the lunar eclipse of this year will get a chance to witness another next year. Interestingly, an iPhone application had been launched for helping the users to track the event and get updates on their iPhones.