'Blood Moon' lunar eclipse in UAE: Guide to watching the spectacle

Skygazers in the UAE can witness a “blood moon” and a Penumbral lunar eclipse on Tuesday, November 8.

Though in many parts of the world, people will see a Total Lunar Eclipse, in the UAE, the total lunar eclipse will not be visible.

According to a tweet by the Dubai Astronomy Group, it reads, “The total lunar eclipse won’t be visible in our region, we are only seeing a partial Penumbral Eclipse. A penumbral lunar eclipse can be a bit hard to see as the shadowed part is only a little bit fainter than the rest of the Moon.”

Explaining the celestial event, Sarath Raj, Project Director – Amity Dubai Satellite Ground Station and AmiSat, Amity University Dubai, said, “A total lunar eclipse is a natural event in which the moon passes completely behind earth, casting its shadow on the planet's surface. The Sun's light is reflected off the Moon's surface, as the Moon does not produce any light of its own. The Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon during a total lunar eclipse, preventing the Moon from receiving any direct sunlight. The Earth's shadow is projected on the Moon's surface by the Sun.”

Total lunar eclipses are sometimes known as blood moons because of the vivid colouring caused by Earth’s atmosphere. Our planet will scatter light from the sun that’ll brandish on the face of the moon giving it a reddish hue.

The three main types of lunar eclipses are the penumbral eclipse, partial eclipse, and total eclipse.

He adds, “On November 8, the right ascension of the Moon will be 02h 26m 46.7s and the Declination will be 14° 09' 59.5" in Dubai. The Magnitude of Moon will be -12.57 with a Solar Elongation of 173.7°.”

Raj further explains how a total lunar eclipse occurs in seven stages. He says, “Beginning of the penumbral eclipse, beginning of the partial eclipse, beginning of the total eclipse, maximum eclipse, a total eclipse ends, and Penumbral eclipse concludes after the partial eclipse.”

Totality – the stage of the eclipse where the Moon is entirely in Earth’s shadow – will be visible in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, across North and Central America, Ecuador, Colombia, and western portions of Venezuela and Peru. In Puerto Rico, the Moon sets just after totality begins. In Alaska and Hawaii, viewers will have the opportunity to see every stage of the eclipse.

“In Dubai the total eclipse begins at 2:16 pm and ends at 3:41 pm below horizon. Hence, in Dubai we cannot see the whole phase of this lunar eclipse. At 5:33 pm the Moon rises in Dubai at 0.2 degree below flat horizon and the Moon is entirely above the horizon in Dubai at 5:36 pm when the eclipse achieves its maximum intensity. Due to this, only a penumbral lunar eclipse, which lasts until 5:58 pm, may be seen in Dubai.”

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It’s said a Total Lunar Eclipse is not observed on all full moon nights.

That’s because not on all full moon phases, does the Sun-Earth-Moon come in a straight line. This will be the second total lunar eclipse this year with the first one having taken place in May 2022.

According to Nasa, after tomorrow’s eclipse, the next total lunar eclipse will not occur again until March 14, 2025.

Unlike solar eclipses, a lunar eclipse can be viewed safely with the naked eye using binoculars and telescopes for more clear views.

• UAE