Did you see the partial lunar eclipse yesterday?

only a slim lower edge of the moon was covered by Earth's shadow

DUBAI 8 August 2017: Astronomy is an exact science and when astronomers say it will happen – it does. But the partial lunar eclipse was a bit disappointing as during its zenith at around 10-10:30pm in Dubai, it had covered about 10-15% of the bottom of the moon.

However, it was visible to the naked eye – or with binoculars – but my phone camera was just unable to capture the burnt out edge either as an image or on video.

A partial lunar eclipse happens when the Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon, but they are not precisely aligned. Only part of the Moon’s visible surface moves into the Earth’s shadow.

The moon was towards the East with the Earth in between and the set sun in the west.

lunar eclipse

The International Astronomical Centre (IAC) has announced on Sunday that the Arab world will witness a partial lunar eclipse on 7th August (Monday).

“Sky-gazers in the Arab world will see the celestial event, while people in remote West Africa will not be able to observe it clearly,” the Abu Dhabi-based centre said in a statement carried by Wam.

The partial eclipse began at 3:50pm and ended at 8:21pm GMT (11:21pm local time).

By Eudore R. Chand