New Delhi: Delhiites today (Nov 9) rose to a beautiful "reddish" morning due to an unusually short duration lunar eclipse. The dust present in the atmosphere enhanced the beauty of the celestial event.

Sky gazers could enjoy the event for a relatively shorter duration as the eclipse occurred towards the moonset in India, Director, Nehru Planetarium, Dr N Rathnasree told reporters.

Usually, the total phase of a lunar eclipse lasts about one to two hours, she said.

Most of India missed the later phases of the eclipse and people in the eastern parts of the country could not even see the beginning of the total eclipse, she said.

The eclipse actually began at 3:45 AM (IST) with the moon entering the lighter shadow of the earth but one could not notice any difference in the shape of the moon, President of Amateur Astrologers body 'Science Popularisation Association of Communicators and Educators' Amitabh Pandey said.

The total phase of the eclipse in India began at 6.36 AM (IST) and was over by 7.01 AM (IST) leaving the duration of eclipse as short as about 25 minutes, he said.

About the reddish tinge in the atmosphere, Rathnasree said it depends on some factors such as dust particles in the atmosphere and volcanic eruptions.

The reddish glow depends on the dust concentration in the earth's atmosphere, she said, adding, "more the dust hangs in the atmosphere more beautiful is the event."

PTI