On Sunday, September 7, India will have the opportunity to witness an extraordinary celestial event: the longest total lunar eclipse since 2022. This phenomenon will be visible across the entire country, marking the first time since July 27, 2018, that a full lunar eclipse can be seen from all regions of India. Additionally, this event will also be observable in China, parts of Eastern Africa, and Western Australia.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth is positioned directly between the Sun and the Moon, resulting in a shadow cast on the Moon that temporarily dims its brightness. This alignment happens exclusively during a full moon phase when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are in a straight line. The Moon traverses through the Earth's shadow, which consists of two sections: the umbra, which is the darker central shadow, and the penumbra, the lighter outer shadow.

The lunar eclipse will commence on September 7 at 8:58 PM and will conclude on September 8. The total phase of the eclipse will occur from 11:01 PM to 12:23 AM, lasting for 82 minutes. The partial phase will wrap up at 1:26 AM, with the entire eclipse ending at 2:25 AM on September 8. The next opportunity to see a similar spectacle in India will be on December 31, 1018. According to the Public Relations and Education Committee (POEC) of the Astronomical Society of India (ASI), such eclipses are infrequent, as they do not occur with every full or new moon due to the Moon's orbit being tilted approximately five degrees relative to the Earth's orbit around the Sun.

Unlike solar eclipses, no special equipment such as binoculars or telescopes is necessary to observe a total lunar eclipse. Experts indicate that it is safe to view the lunar eclipse with the naked eye. The partial phase of the eclipse can be seen starting at 9:57 PM on September 7.

During a lunar eclipse, the Moon takes on a reddish hue, commonly referred to as a 'Blood Moon.' This coloration occurs because sunlight passing through the Earth's atmosphere is refracted and scattered. Ryan Milligan, an astronomer from Queen's University Belfast, noted that blue light scatters more easily than red light, resulting in the Moon's distinctive reddish appearance. In Europe and Africa, a partial eclipse will be visible briefly as the Moon rises in the evening, while it will not be observable in America.