`Blood moon': Total lunar eclipse on Wednesday; will be visible in north-east India

Blood Moon appears slightly reddish-orange in color. It is important to note that a total lunar eclipse is taking place for the first time after January 21, 2019.

The total lunar eclipse takes place when the Earth comes between the sun and the moon, blocking the sun's rays from directly reaching the Moon. In contrast, the solar eclipse takes place when the moon comes between the Earth and the sun to cast a shadow on the Earth blocking the rays of the Sun.

The lunar eclipse will be visible in East Asia, Australia, the Pacific, and America. It will also be visible from some parts of the Pacific, the Atlantic, and the Indian oceans. It is important to note that the eclipse will not be visible all over India.

Just after moonrise, a partial phase of the eclipse will be visible for a short span of time in north-eastern parts of India (except Sikkim), some parts of West Bengal, some coastal parts of Odisha and Andaman and Nicobar Islands This year's first total lunar eclipse will start at 2:17 pm as per Indian Standard Timing and be visible until 7:19 pm.

The partial phase of the eclipse will begin at 3:15 pm and the total phase will begin at 4:39 pm. The total phase will end at 4:58 pm and the partial phase will end at 6:23 pm

A lunar eclipse only occurs at full Moon. This is when the Moon passes through some portion of Earth's shadow which is composed of two cone-shaped components. The outer shadow is a zone where the Earth blocks part of the Sun's rays from reaching the Moon, while the inner or umbral shadow is a zone where the Earth blocks all direct sunlight from reaching the Moon.