Friday's Wolf moon eclipse kicks off the first of 13 full moons in 2020
Kolkata, Jan 9: This year started off with a meteor shower and the first month of 2020 continues with a penumbral lunar eclipse during the full moon, on Friday.
The eclipse began at 10.37 pm on January 10. It will end around 2.42 am on January 11, the Director of M P Birla Planetarium, Debiprosad Duari, said in a statement on Wednesday.
The lunar eclipse on Friday will be the first of four penumbral lunar eclipses that will take place this year, Duari said, adding, the other three penumbral lunar eclipses will occur on June 5, July 5 and November 30.
The penumbral lunar eclipse will also be visible from different countries in Asia, Africa, Australia and Europe, he said.
In a normal lunar eclipse, the moon passes through the central part of the earth's shadow called umbra, and one witnesses considerable darkening of the lunar disc.
But in case of January 10 penumbral lunar eclipse there will be only a slight dimming of the lunar surface, the statement quoted Duari as saying.
"To a naked eye it is sometimes a little difficult to recognise a penumbral lunar eclipse, though it is interesting to see the larger than usual appearance of the moon, and the shifts in shadow during the 4-hour period," the renowned astrophysicist said.
Asked if the event would be clearly visible from Kolkata, Duari said, Skygazers across the state, including Kolkata, will be able to witness the celestial event only if the weather does not play a spoilsport.
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Ordinance issued to increase number of Supreme Court judges from 34 to 38
New Delhi (PTI): The government has promulgated an ordinance to increase the strength of the Supreme Court from the present 34 judges to 38, including the Chief Justice of India.
The law ministry notified the ordinance on Saturday, which amended the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, to increase the sanctioned strength of the top court.
So far, the sanctioned strength of the top court was 34, including the Chief Justice of India (CJI). Now, the number of judges has been increased by four, taking the sanctioned strength to 38.
The top court will now have 37 judges, other than the CJI.
With the apex court having two vacancies at present, and the ordinance coming into force immediately, the Supreme Court Collegium will now have to recommend six names for appointment as judges in the top court.
A bill will be brought in the Monsoon Session of Parliament to convert the ordinance – an executive order – into a law passed by Parliament.
The Union Cabinet had cleared a draft bill on May 5 to increase the number of apex court judges.
The strength of the Supreme Court was last increased from 30 to 33 (excluding the CJI) in 2019.
The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, as originally enacted in 1956, put the maximum number of judges (excluding the CJI) at 10.
This number was increased to 13 by the Supreme Court (Number of Judges), Amendment Act, 1960, and to 17 by another amendment to the law.
The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 1986, augmented the strength of judges from 17 to 25, excluding the CJI.
A fresh amendment in 2009 further increased the strength from 25 to 30.
Article 124(3) of the Constitution lists the qualifications required to become a Supreme Court judge.
An Indian citizen who has either served as a high court judge for at least five years, or as an advocate for 10 years, or is a distinguished jurist, can be appointed to the top court.
The strength of the Supreme Court is increased based on the recommendations of the CJI, who writes to the Union law minister. After consulting the finance ministry, the Department of Justice under the law ministry moves the Cabinet with a draft bill.
