8th March 2016
Goswami Tulsidas was the poet saint who retold the Ramayana. He was born on Saptami of Shukla paksha (the fortnight leading for ‘New Moon’ to ‘Full Moon’) in the month of Sawan, which is the seventh day of the waxing half of the Hindu month of Sravana (July-August) in 1497(?). Coincidentally he died on the same day in 1623.
8th February 2016
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth blocks all direct sunlight from reaching the Moon. There could be partial lunar eclipses occurring in a year too. The number of lunar eclipses in a single year can range from 0 to 3. On June 16, 2011, a total lunar eclipse occurred, which was visible for over 100 minutes in different parts of Asia, Europe and Africa. The partial eclipse lasted for 3 hours and 40 minutes, making it the longest total lunar eclipse in this decade.
8th February 2016
There are usually twelve full moons in a year, usually once a month. This is because of the waxing and waning of the moon. It takes about 29 days for the moon to complete its cycle and return to its starting phase. So in months that have less than 29 days, which is only February, this phenomenon could happen. And it happens more frequently than you think. There was no full moon in February for the years 1809, 1847, 1866, 1885, 1915, 1934, 1961, and as recently as 1999.
