All set for twin events of lunar eclipse and blood moon

Oman Tuesday 25/May/2021 21:48 PM
By: Times News Service
All set for twin events of lunar eclipse and blood moon
While it will not be visible over Oman, the event will still be streamed online by both timeanddate.com, and the Virtual Telescope Project.

Muscat: Space enthusiasts and people in Oman interested in astronomy are sure to be eagerly looking forward to the twin phenomena of the blood moon and lunar eclipse this evening.

The first total lunar eclipse to take place in two years, this one will see the moon come to its nearest point to the Earth.

The event is expected to begin at 12:45 pm GST, when the moon enters penumbra, that part of the Earth’s shadow where the sun is partially blocked.

The partial eclipse will begin at 1:45 pm, with it becoming a total eclipse at 3:15 pm, ending 11 minutes later at 3:26 pm, when it will return to a partial nature.

This partial eclipse is expected to end at 4:52 pm, with penumbra ending at 5:49 pm.

While it will not be visible over Oman, the event will still be streamed online by both timeanddate.com, and the Virtual Telescope Project.

Salem bin Saeed Al Rahbi of the Oman Astronomical Society explained the reason behind the moon turning blood-red during the upcoming phenomenon.

“When a lunar eclipse occurs, the Earth, the sun and the moon lie on the same line,” he explained.

"During this period, the moon moves into the shadow of the Earth, so if the planet does not have an atmosphere, the moon will appear black.

“But the Earth’s atmosphere redirects sunlight toward the moon, and although blue light is scattered more easily, red light passes through it almost unimpeded, which sees the moon bathed in red sunlight,” added Al Rahbi.