Chandra Grahan 2027
India's lunar eclipse of 2027 comes on the night of 20–21 February 2027, the night after the day of Magha Purnima: a penumbral eclipse from 02:42 to 06:44 IST, greatest at 04:43, with the Moon well up in the western sky before dawn. Two more lunar eclipses follow, on 18 July 2027, too slight to see, and on 17 August 2027, with the Moon below India's horizon.
Chandra grahan 2027 at a glance
- Date
- Night of 20–21 Feb 2027 (Magha Purnima)
- Type
- Penumbral lunar eclipse: the Moon passes through the Earth's outer shadow only
- Times (IST)
- Begins 02:42, greatest 04:43, ends 06:44, the same instant everywhere
- Moon in
- Leo, Magha (sidereal)
- Sutak
- None is reckoned for a penumbral eclipse
What each city sees
| City | Moon at greatest eclipse | Until the end |
|---|---|---|
| New Delhi | Up, 28° above the horizon | Moon up throughout |
| Mumbai | Up, 32° above the horizon | Moon up throughout |
| Bengaluru | Up, 28° above the horizon | Moon sets at 06:43, as it ends |
| Chennai | Up, 25° above the horizon | Moon sets at 06:32, before the end |
| Kolkata | Up, 18° above the horizon | Moon sets at 06:06, before the end |
| Hyderabad | Up, 27° above the horizon | Moon sets at 06:43, as it ends |
| Pune | Up, 31° above the horizon | Moon up throughout |
| Ahmedabad | Up, 33° above the horizon | Moon up throughout |
| Jaipur | Up, 29° above the horizon | Moon up throughout |
| Lucknow | Up, 25° above the horizon | Moon sets at 06:40, before the end |
Indian Standard Time, to the nearest minute. Height of the Moon above the horizon at 04:43 IST, for each city centre.
20–21 February 2027: what to expect
The Moon passes through the Earth's outer shadow, the penumbra, without touching the dark inner shadow. Through the first hour nothing shows; around greatest eclipse at 04:43 IST one side of the Moon may look faintly dusky to a practised eye, a shading much subtler than the bite of a partial eclipse. The Moon is well above the horizon at that moment in every city in the table.
The eclipse ends at 06:44 IST, close to dawn. In the south and east the Moon sets first, so the last minutes are lost below the horizon there; the table shows where. At greatest eclipse the Moon is in Leo, in Magha nakshatra (sidereal, Lahiri ayanamsa).
No sutak for a penumbral eclipse
Sutak is the traditional interval before an eclipse in which temple worship and ordinary cooking are set aside. Panchangs reckon it as four prahars, about 12 hours, before a solar eclipse begins and three prahars, about 9 hours, before a lunar eclipse begins, and it ends with the eclipse. It applies only where the eclipse can be seen. By the usual panchang convention a penumbral (upachhaya) lunar eclipse, in which the Moon never enters the Earth's dark inner shadow, is not counted as a grahan, so no sutak is reckoned for it.
Since all three lunar eclipses of 2027 are penumbral, panchangs list them for reference but reckon no sutak for them; the full moon's usual observances, such as the Magha Purnima bath and fast, follow the tithi as in any other year.
18 July 2027: Guru Purnima
On the evening of the day of Guru Purnima (Ashadha Purnima) the Moon only grazes the outer edge of the penumbra, for well under an hour, greatest at 21:33 IST. The Moon is up in all ten cities, but the dimming is far too slight to see. Because so shallow an eclipse has no sharp edge, careful calculations of when it begins and ends differ by several minutes, so this page gives only the moment of greatest eclipse.
17 August 2027: not seen from India
The third penumbral eclipse comes on the day of Shravana Purnima and Raksha Bandhan, greatest at 12:44 IST, around midday in India, when the Moon is below the horizon. It is seen from the other side of the world; nothing of it is visible here, and it carries no sutak in India.
Chandra Grahan 2027: questions
When is the chandra grahan of 2027 in India?
On the night of 20–21 February 2027: a penumbral lunar eclipse from 02:42 to 06:44 IST, greatest at 04:43. It is the only lunar eclipse of 2027 that India can notice.
Can I see the February 2027 lunar eclipse?
The Moon is up for it in all ten cities, but a penumbral eclipse is subtle: look around 04:43 IST for a faint shading on one side of the Moon. In the south and east the Moon sets before the eclipse ends, in Kolkata about 37 minutes early.
Is there a sutak for the lunar eclipse?
No. By the usual panchang convention a penumbral lunar eclipse is not counted as a grahan, so no sutak is reckoned, and all three lunar eclipses of 2027 are penumbral. The rule for a partial or total one is three prahars, about 9 hours, before it begins.
Is there a lunar eclipse on Guru Purnima 2027?
Yes, on the evening of 18 Jul 2027, greatest at 21:33 IST, but it only grazes the Earth's outer shadow and cannot be seen. No sutak is reckoned for it.
Is there an eclipse on Raksha Bandhan 2027?
A penumbral lunar eclipse happens on 17 Aug 2027, the day of the Shravana full moon, but at midday in India with the Moon below the horizon, so it is not seen here and no sutak is reckoned in India.
Every eclipse of 2027 · Surya Grahan 2027 · Purnima 2027 · Amavasya 2027 · Hindu festivals 2027 · Today's panchang
Eclipse times are calculated for each city and checked against an independent calculation to within a minute. Sign and nakshatra use the Lahiri ayanamsa. For reference.