Lunar eclipse of May 24/25, 2013
A penumbral
Lunar Eclipse would occur on May 24 and 25, 2013. It would be the second Lunar Eclipse out of the three lunar eclipses in 2013.
As it is penumbral eclipse it would not be considered for any religious activities by Hindus. For eclipse watchers also it would not be a significant event as the moon would barely graze the inside of the penumbral shadow of the earth. In other words it would be a partial penumbral eclipse in which only a tiny portion of the moon would be covered by the outer shadow of the earth.
The penumbral eclipse would be visible from the USA, the UK, Canada, all countries in South America, Western Europe and Africa. The eclipse would not be visible from India, China and Australia.
About Lunar Eclipse DataIf Lunar Eclipse starts before midnight but ends after midnight i.e. it covers two different dates on Gregorian calendar then the chosen Eclipse Day is when Umbral phase starts hence Penumbral Phase might start before midnight i.e. on the previous day.
Moonrise and Moonset moments are corrected for Parallax and this correction gives better timings for the Eclipse sighting.
Hinduism and Lunar EclipseUnless Lunar Eclipse is visible to the naked eye, it is of no significance to Hindus and Hindus don't consider it for any religious activities. Penumbral Lunar Eclipses are not visible to the naked eye hence no rituals related to Chandra Grahan should be observed. If Lunar Eclipse is visible during Umbral Phase then only it should be considered for religious activities. Most Hindu Calendars don't list Penumbral Eclipses.
If Chandra Grahan is not visible in your city but it is visible some city near to that then you should not observe it.
Precautions which are advised during Sutak should be taken only if Chandra Grahan is visible in your city. Chandra Grahan is considered even if the Moon is not visible due to cloudy weather or some other weather conditions.
