Dubai: There’s a good reason to stay outdoors this Friday night. It’s the last lunar eclipse of the year and the Harvest Moon will make for a beautiful sight.
This celestial event is a penumbral lunar eclipse where the Earth’s main shadow, or the darkest part called the umbra, does not cover the moon, unlike in total lunar eclipses. Instead, the moon’s reflected light is dimmed because it is covered by the outer part of the Earth’s shadow.
The eclipse, which will last almost four hours, will peak at 10.54pm. It will be visible anywhere in the UAE.
“The reason why this happens is because moon is orbiting the Earth and as it does, the three — Sun, Moon and Earth — at certain times form a geometrical alignment. This penumbral eclipse is something beautiful to see. The moonlight will appear to be a little bit dim,” Hassan Ahmad Al Hariri, CEO of Dubai Astronomy Group, told Gulf News.
“It will not be easy for people to notice it, because the dimming will not be that much, unless you watch it from the beginning at around 8.54pm until the end at around 12.53am the following morning. For those who want to observe the eclipse with us, they can come to the Mushrif Park in Dubai from 7pm to 1am.”
Forecasters expect mild temperatures ranging between 29 degrees Celsius to 32C on Friday and Saturday night. Maximum temperature is expected to be between 34C to 40C.
There is a chance of rain in the eastern and southern parts of the country.
