Moon to hide behind the Sun tonight

Abu Dhabi: Residents will witness the second and last lunar eclipse of the year tonight, when the Earth will come between the Sun and Moon, only to obscure less than a quarter of the Moon's surface.

The first phase of the partial lunar eclipse, also known as the penumbral phase, will begin at 8.42pm, but Engineer Mohammad Shawkat Odeh of the UAE Astronomical Society explained that the penumbral phase of a lunar eclipse is not noticeable to the naked eye.

"There won't be anything to see, until the second phase of the eclipse begins, or the umbral phase. This will start at 10.05pm and last for about an hour-and- half. The maximum eclipse will be at 10.51pm, when 19 per cent of the moon will be obscured."

The partial lunar eclipse will end at 1.16am, and residents in all Gulf countries can witness the entire stellar event.

"Western Australia, the Indian Ocean, Asia and the eastern parts of Africa will witness the partial eclipse from beginning to end," said Odeh.

"Western Africa and Europe will only witness the beginning of the eclipse. People can watch the eclipse from anywhere, as lunar eclipses only happen during a full moon. Today, the Moon will become full at exactly 10.42pm."

The last lunar eclipse witnessed in the UAE was in March. "There will be a solar eclipse on September 22, but we will not be able to see it from here," said Odeh. "The next lunar eclipse will be a total one which will be seen across the Arab world, and will happen on March 3, 2007."