Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], September 7 (ANI): Space Scientist Dr Suvendu Patnaik announced that the next total lunar eclipse will be on March 3 2026 and the current eclipse can be seen through naked eye through out India in case there is a 'cloudless sky'

'We can see the lunar eclipse with the naked eye. It will start around 9.37 pm... Around 11 pm the shadow will totally cover the moon's surface, and the moon will turn completely red... It will remain so till 12.22 pm... The next total lunar eclipse will be on 3 March 2026... The current eclipse is a long duration eclipse which can be seen through naked eye throughout India if there is a cloudless sky...' Space Scientist Dr Suvendu Patnaik told ANI

Earlier, Senior Planetarium Engineer at Nehru Planetarium, OP Gupta, also reacted to the total Lunar Eclipse that will take place today and said that the eclipse will peak at 11:48 pm today and will last for 48 minutes. He also added that the eclipse will be seen in India, Pakistan, and China today.

Senior Planetarium Engineer at Nehru Planetarium, OP Gupta, while talking to ANI, said, 'The eclipse will peak at 11.48 pm and last for 48 minutes. People can watch it easily. It will not harm the eyes...You can even eat and drink during it.'

He further added, '... This eclipse cannot only be seen in India but also in Pakistan and China. In Delhi, the penumbral phase (initial phase) will start at 8.58 pm. The partial eclipse will begin at around 9.57 pm... It will peak at around 11.48 pm. Its duration will be a little more than 48 minutes. The complete lunar eclipse will end at 12:22 PM.'

Gupta also cleared the misconception regarding the lunar eclipse and added, 'People can watch it easily. There will be no harm to the eyes. There is nothing to fear. There is no need to take precautions. You can even eat and drink during it. There has been a misconception for many years that food spoils during an eclipse. Nothing of the sort happens...'

This is the second lunar eclipse of 2025, which will produce a blood moon.

A lunar eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened.

Such alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six months, during the full moon phase, when the Moon's orbital plane is closest to the plane of the Earth's orbit.

This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are exactly or very closely aligned with Earth between the other two, which can happen only on the night of a full moon when the Moon is near either lunar node.

The type and length of a lunar eclipse depend on the Moon's proximity to the lunar node. (ANI)