Many residents of the emirate's Al Suyoh community were relocated to hotels after a raging wadi swept across their neighbourhood during the records rains last week
Stargazers across the UAE and around the world were up all night as they witnessed the year's last partial lunar eclipse. The moon took on different shapes from 10.45pm on Wednesday (July 17) till 4:00am the next day as the earth moved between the sun and the moon.
It was a special occasion, for the next eclipse won't happen until mid-2021. And two Khaleej Times photographers were on the ground, capturing the lunar spectacle.
"I wanted to capture the different phases of the eclipse and stationed myself in Sharjah's Al Soor area. We were fortunate enough to have clear skies. It was breathtaking," said one of the photographers, M. Sajjad.
The other photographer, Neeraj Murali, felt cityscape shots were "overdone" and so he wanted "something abstract". "That's when I decided to head down to Al Farooq Omar Bin Al Khattab Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque. Shooting the moon with a foreground involves planning. I had to go during the day to frame the shot. With the help of a planet tracking app, I angled myself and visualised the shot."
Photos: Stargazers across the world enjoy partial lunar eclipse
He headed back to the mosque around 11.30pm. "The earth's shadow touched the moon's surface at exactly midnight. Thanks to the accurate app and advance planning, in the end, it was all worth it."
A partial eclipse is when the earth moves between the sun and the moon, but the three bodies do not form a straight line. This causes a part of the moon's surface to be covered by the darkest and central part of the earth's shadow.
Different phases of the lunar eclipse. Photo by M. Sajjad/Khaleej Times
Many residents of the emirate's Al Suyoh community were relocated to hotels after a raging wadi swept across their neighbourhood during the records rains last week
‘A significant number of cars damaged during last week’s rains may not be covered for natural disasters such as flooding’
As normalcy resumes at the airport, a few volunteers would continue to be stationed at the airport for a few more days
Addition of A380 significantly boosts Etihad's capacity in the US market, providing connections to Middle East and Indian subcontinent
Suhail underwent a six-month intensive treatment at Abu Dhabi’s Al Mushrif Children’s Specialty Centre
The yellow metal backtracked as geopolitical tensions abated in the Middle East, say experts
The affected families can contact on the number and urgent measures will be taken by Sharjah Social Services Department to help them
It is likely to be humid by night with possibility of fog or mist formation over some internal and coastal areas