City Eyes Lunar Eclipse Spectacle

The city has been witness to a century, the first total lunar eclipse on Wednesday night. Eclipse began at 10:54 and lasted over five hours. Days began excitement. Some temples have closed their doors by 2:00, after a ritual. "Religious, eclipses are not considered approved. A set of rituals performed during this time," says Shiv Ram Sharma, temple priest in the Old Town. Varanasi and Haridwar Ganga Aarti in the evening took place during the day.

In the evening, as clouds shrouded the moon once a month was the fear of loss of performance. "The moon looked pale orange, creamy white to me," said Ashish Kumar, a resident of the city. He clicked on his cell phone camera images of the moon. Through the night, people were seen waiting for their rooftops to view the event, although some were glued to the TV. "I do not know if I would be able to see the next time," said Shilpa Sinha, a student. Believers in astrology had their own interpretations of events and some even stayed away from watching. "Some parents in my family ate early and went to bed before the beginning of the eclipse to avoid adverse effects. I recommend the same for us," said Madhumita Verma, a banker.

The lunar eclipse was also seen in East Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and Western Australia. Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina ecplise was only partially visible. Experts say that the eclipses of 2011. The four partial and two total lunar eclipse of the sun can be seen this year.

The lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth and Moon will land in the middle of a straight line. Block the rays of the moon to create an eclipse. Total Lunar Eclipse is an interesting one. "The moon changes color from gray to orange and then a deeper shade of red," said Shishir Sankhayan, educator at the Indira Gandhi Planetarium. He added that the moon is red because it is tangential to the sun's rays reach the earth's shadow though. "To be inclined to get all the scattered rays. But the red color of the scattered rays of red and give the appearance of the moon," he explained.