Nagpur: The highly awaited celestial spectacle of the Blood Moon total lunar eclipse on Sunday night turned out to be a major disappointment for skywatchers in Nagpur, as thick cloud cover shrouded the event from start to finish.
For weeks, astronomy enthusiasts, students, and families had been preparing to witness the rare occurrence, where the moon takes on a reddish hue as Earth’s shadow engulfs it. But instead of awe and wonder, most returned home with only frustration and stories of what might have been.
Gold Rate
18 Aug 2025
A twelve-year-old student, who came with her parents to the Raman Science Centre, shared her dismay: “I had been waiting for this day and had even marked it on my calendar. Everyone was talking about how the moon would turn red. I thought telescopes would be there for us, but the gates were closed, and nothing happened. It broke my heart.”
Many echoed similar feelings. A civil engineer who had travelled from Hingna said he was shocked that a premier institution like Raman Science Centre did not host even a basic viewing programme: “Several families with small children were waiting eagerly outside. Instead, a security guard told us the programme had been cancelled. For a city with such a strong scientific culture, this was very disappointing.”
Some residents travelled from neighbouring towns and villages hoping to make the night memorable for their children, only to be greeted by overcast skies and locked gates. The disappointment was more pronounced because this eclipse was being hailed as one of the longest in recent years, visible across large parts of the world.
While the clouds may have robbed Nagpurians of seeing the moon draped in red, the gathering of hundreds of enthusiasts itself reflected a growing passion for astronomy in the city. Many left the sites with a sense of unfulfilled curiosity but also with the determination to catch the next celestial event, if only the skies show some mercy.
The phenomenon, often called the Blood Moon, occurs when the Earth passes directly between the Sun and the Moon. The reddish tint is caused by Rayleigh scattering, as Earth’s atmosphere filters sunlight, shorter blue wavelengths scatter while red wavelengths bend and bathe the lunar surface in crimson hues.
