Yesterday the Sun, Earth and Moon were aligned exactly, with Earth in the middle. In effect sky gazers in much of the world witnessed a total lunar eclipse, said to be the longest in 21th century. Since the moon passed through near-center of the Earth's shadow, the eclipse lasted for a total of 1 hour and 40 minutes. It was visible over Europe and South America after sunset, over Africa and most of Asia, and Australia before sunrise. This was the first of the two lunar eclipses in 2011. Next one is due for December 10 and will be seen in most parts of the world, excluding South America and parts of Western Africa.
