Over the moon!
Rain and clouds prevent sighting of three-in-one event in state
Despite a drizzle, stargazers gathered to catch a threein-one celestial wonder in Selangor. They ended up singing the blues but crowds in Penang, Terengganu and Sarawak caught the phenomenon that occurs once every 152 years.
PETALING JAYA: Rain and thick clouds hovering above Selangor prevented stargazers and astrophotography enthusiasts from witnessing the rare celestial display last night.
There was no sight of the moon when it rose at 7.17pm.
The horizon, with the background of the Titiwangsa main range, which is visible from tall buildings in the city and Selangor, was covered with thick clouds.
There was still no sight of the moon when the lunar eclipse began at 7.51pm. The eclipse ended at 10.07pm.
In George Town, however, the crowd at Karpal Singh Drive did not miss the once-in-a-lifetime event.
Despite the early drizzle, many were drawn to the novelty of observing the three-in-one lunar event namely the blue moon, supermoon and lunar eclipse which started in the evening.
Lim Eng Chin, 23, was thrilled to catch the sight – after the sky cleared – using various telescopes.
“If I do not see it this time, the next will only come more than a century later.
“It definitely is an informative evening as I learnt where the idiom ‘once in a blue moon’ came from,” he said yesterday during an event organised by the Astronomical Society of Penang, which provided the public with 16 telescopes.
In Kuala Terengganu, crowds took the opportunity to witness the rare lunar eclipse at the Tok Jembal beach.
Low light pollution at the beach allowed them to see it with the naked eye.
“It’s my first time seeing something like this. Luckily, the clouds cleared,” said Perak native Surinadila Abd Latif.
The 33-year-old technical executive was on holiday in Terengganu with her friend Hasila Mohd Amin.
“We didn’t want to miss the chance to see this,” said Hasila, a school administrator.
The East Coast Environmental Research Institute from Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin also provided telescopes and binoculars to those who wished to take a closer look.