மலரும் வான் நிலவும் சிந்தும் அழகெல்லாம் உன் எழில் வண்ணமே...
குழலும் யாழிசையும் கொஞ்சும் ஒலியெல்லாம் உன் குரல் வண்ணமே...
A photo taken at 5.42 am – Garuda on the wall of Sri Parthasarathi Perumal gopuram and Chandran (Moon) ornately behindhis head. It was a fantastic red hue (thanks to MAPs for pointing out !)
The striking red or orange hue captured behind the Garuda is due to total lunar eclipse (Chandra Grahanam), visible as the Moon rose.This phenomenon is called blood moon.This phenomenon occurs because Earth positions itself between the Sun and Moon, blocking direct sunlight while allowing indirect red light to reach the lunar surface.
Sunlight passing through Earth's thick atmosphere scatters shorter blue wavelengths more than longer red ones, similar to why sunrises and sunsets look red. The remaining red-orange light bends around Earth's edge and illuminates the Moon. This is known as : Rayleigh Scattering.
Read that normally, the early morning Moon looks pale yellow, white, or slightly golden due to Rayleigh scattering through the atmosphere—similar to sunrises—but never as intensely red as today. Such dramatic red "blood moon" colors occur only during total lunar eclipses (2-5 times a year globally, not daily), when Earth's shadow blocks other light. In Chennai, the next lunar eclipse visibility is partial in 2027.
The song at the start is from movie ‘Mahakavi Kalidas’ produced and directed by RR Chandran in 1966 – written by Ku ma Balasubramaniam and sung by P Susheela and TM Soundararajan to the tune of KV Mahadevan.
Interesting !
Regards – S Sampathkumar3.3.2026
