Picture for illustrative purposes only. ARCHIVE

Residents across the UAE are in for a celestial treat as a total lunar eclipse will be visible to the naked eye on Sunday evening (September 7). The eclipse will last over four hours, from 8:15pm until 12:15am, according to Engineer Mohammed Shawkat Odah, Director of the International Astronomical Centre. “The International Astronomical Centre will livestream the total lunar eclipse visible in the region,” Odah confirmed. The livestream will be broadcast using a telescope from the Al-Khattm Astronomical Observatory and is expected to run from 7:30pm to 11:50pm UAE time. The partial eclipse will begin at 8:27pm, with the total eclipse starting at 9:31pm. The eclipse will reach its peak at 10:12pm before totality ends at 10:53pm. The partial eclipse will conclude at 11:57pm, and the event will wrap up entirely by 12:55am. Odah explained that the lunar eclipse will be fully visible across much of Asia and Australia, while parts of Africa and Europe will see partial phases. “In the eastern Arab world, the moon will rise before the eclipse begins, while in the central Arab region, it will rise during the early stages. In the western Arab world, the moon will rise during the final stages,” he said. During a total lunar eclipse, the moon typically glows in vibrant shades of yellow, orange, or red due to sunlight refracting through Earth’s atmosphere. The colour intensity depends on atmospheric purity, with higher pollution levels resulting in a darker red or brown hue. “In rare cases, the moon may vanish entirely, as happened during the 1992 eclipse following the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines,” Odah noted.
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