The lunar eclipse on May 5 will be visible in India

When viewed from New Delhi, the penumbral lunar eclipse will be visible in the south-eastern part of the sky. It will be lying about 40 degrees above the horizon at the time of greatest eclipse.

Visibility map of the lunar eclipse. (Image courtesy: In the Sky)

What time is the eclipse happening?

The Moon should pass through the Earth’s shadow between 8.45 PM IST on Mar 5 and 1.02 AM IST on May 6, which is when the eclipse will be visible.

What is a penumbral lunar eclipse and how will the one on May 5 look?

On May 5, when the eclipse will happen, the Moon will not be exactly on the opposite of the Earth as the Sun. This means that there won’t be an “umbral” eclipse where the light from the Sun will be completely blocked by the Sun.

During the May 5 eclipse, the full Moon will be south of the Earth’s umbra or its dark shadow, according to EarthSky. Due to this, instead of the Moon being completely blocked out, its brightness will be reduced. Despite this, most of the Moon’s disc will remain illuminated to some extent.

How a penumbral lunar eclipse works. (Image credit: NASA)

Since the May 5 eclipse will only reduce the brightness of the Moon by a small amount, it is going to be a subtle event that will be a little difficult to observe unless you have keen eyes.

How to view the eclipse on May 5

Penumbral lunar eclipses like the one happening on May 5 have a subtle effect on Earth’s lone natural satellite. This means that the event will almost be imperceptible unless you pay close attention.

But unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are completely safe to view directly with your naked eyes. This also means that you can safely use optical instruments like binoculars or telescopes to look at the Moon to spot the eclipse easier.