Stargazers in India can witness a spectacular celestial event on Sunday night, as a total lunar eclipse, popularly known as a "Blood Moon," will be visible across the country.
The phenomenon occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align, causing Earth's shadow to fall on the Moon and cast it in a deep red hue, a sight that has intrigued astronomers for centuries.
Asia, including India and China, will have the best viewing opportunities, while the full eclipse will also be visible on the eastern edge of Africa and in western Australia, news agency Agence France-Presse reported.
The total lunar eclipse will begin at 11.00 pm IST on September 7 and end at 12.22 am IST on September 8. The Moon will enter the penumbral phase slightly earlier, around 10:01 pm IST, as it starts moving into Earth's outer shadow.
Europe and Africa will witness a brief partial eclipse as the Moon rises in the early evening, whereas the Americas will miss out entirely.
"The Moon appears red during lunar eclipses because the only sunlight reaching it is reflected and scattered through the Earth's atmosphere," AFP quoted Ryan Milligan, an astrophysicist at Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland, as saying.
Blue light is scattered more easily than red, leaving the Moon with its iconic "bloody" glow, he added.
Unlike solar eclipses, which require special glasses or pinhole projectors, lunar eclipses are safe to watch with the naked eye, provided the sky is clear and the location is suitable, the AFP report added.
This will be the second total lunar eclipse this year, following the last one in March, and the first since 2022. Milligan, a self-described "solar eclipse chaser," said Sunday's event serves as a precursor to a much-anticipated total solar eclipse next year.
On August 12, 2026, a rare total solar eclipse will be visible across a narrow strip of Europe, including parts of Spain and Iceland. This will be the first total solar eclipse in mainland Europe since 2006, though other nations will see significant partial eclipses.
In Spain, the totality will stretch across a roughly 160-kilometre (100-mile) band between Madrid and Barcelona, although neither city will experience the full event.