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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ED raids underway at five places in Kolkata over 'irregularities' in NRI quota medical admissions
Kolkata (PTI): Raids are underway by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at five locations in and around Kolkata on Tuesday in connection with its probe into the alleged irregularities in admission to private medical colleges under the non-resident Indian (NRI) quota, an official said.
ED sleuths started simultaneous raids in the Ballygunge area in the southern part of the city and New Town on the outskirts of the eastern metropolis, he said.
"We are conducting raids in connection with the irregularities in NRI quota admissions. There is a coaching centre in New Town which is being searched," a senior ED official said.
The central probe agency is investigating whether documents were forged to create false NRI credentials for admission of local Indian students in medical colleges in Odisha's Bhubaneswar and Rourkela.
