When the moon took over UAE skies
dubai — It was a rare celestial treat for UAE’s skywatchers as the longest blood moon eclipse of the 21st century was visible across the country on July 27.
From the balcony of their homes, rooftops and open spaces, UAE residents, armed with their smart phones and others carrying their own telescopes and DSLR cameras, did not mind the hot and humid weather which peaked at 39°Celcius to gaze at the night sky.
Others trooped to various astronomy centres to witness the unique astronomical phenomenon. Viewing locations included the International Astronomical Centre, based in Abu Dhabi, Emirates Mobile Observatory, Al Sadeem Astronomy, Sharjah Centre for Astronomy and Space Sciences and the Dubai Astronomy Group to get the best view and interact with like-minded astronomy enthusiasts.
The thrilling spectacle coincided with Mars’ closest approach in 15 years and many keen-eyed onlookers also noticed the red planet has grown brighter, making it easy to spot with the naked eye.
A staff at Dubai Astronomy Group (DAG) told Khaleej Times that around 500 people went to the observatory in Mushrif Park. They started arriving at 8pm before the penumbral eclipse, or when the Earth blocked some of the sun’s light from directly reaching the moon’s surface, began at 9.14pm on Friday.
Unlike when watching solar eclipse, viewers needed no protective eye gear to observe the spectacle. By 10.24pm, the partial eclipse was visible to the naked eye and the Moon started turning reddish.
It was a weekend and curious residents kept coming to DAG observatory until 11pm to catch the total eclipse before 11.30pm when the Moon turned completely blood red or reddish brown.
At 21 minutes past midnight, the Moon was closest to the centre of the shadow and it has reached maximum eclipse. By 1.13am (Saturday), the total eclipse ended; by 2.19am, partial eclipse ended and the Moon started moving away from the centre of the Earth’s shadow. And by 3.28am, the penumbral eclipse ended.
In total, the penumbral eclipse (lighter part of the shadow) lasted for 6hrs, 13min and 48sec while the umbral eclipse when moon was at the shadow’s dark centre lasted for 3hrs, 54min, 32sec and the total lunar eclipse clocked in 1hr, 42min, 57sec.
During the entire celestial treat, however, cloudy skies spoiled the view as they seemed to like moon playing hide-and-seek with the skygazers. But those at the DAG enjoyed a series of discussions on eclipses and astronomy.