Assam witnesses year's last lunar eclipse
Guwahati: Assam, like several other parts of the country, witnessed the year's last lunar eclipse on Tuesday.
As the time of the moonrise in the state was later than that of the start of the eclipse, the initial phase of it was not visible here, Guwahati Planetarium curator Babul Bora said.
The lunar eclipse began at 2.39 PM and the total eclipse phase at 3.36 PM. But the moonrise in Guwahati was at 4.34 PM, hence the phenomenon was visible only after that here, he said.
The total eclipse till 5.12 PM as well as the partial eclipse till 6.19 PM was visible from Guwahati, he added.
Bora said the towns further east of Guwahati, such as Dibrugarh and Jorhat, witnessed the eclipse for a longer duration as the moon rose earlier in those parts.
He also said that no special arrangements were made for viewing the event as a lunar eclipse can be seen without any eye protective gear.
Filters are needed for viewing a solar eclipse but lunar eclipses can be viewed through the naked eye, Bora said.
He also urged the public not to associate any superstition with eclipses as there is no scientific evidence to back beliefs like eating food during the eclipse period will bring harm.
Eclipse is just like a game of light and shadow. A shadow cannot be defined as good or bad. In earlier times, people didn't understand the science behind it and were scared, but it shouldn't happen now, Bora added.
