The world and the Arab region will witness, next Sunday evening, September 7, a rare astronomical phenomenon represented in a total eclipse of the moon, which can be followed by the naked eye without the need for any special tools. This eclipse is one of the most prominent astronomical events for the current year, and its timing coincides with the completion of the Badr of Rabi` al -Awwal 1447 AH. Its stages are expected to last for more than five hours.
A professor of sun research at the National Institute for Astronomical and Geophysical Research, Dr. Muhammad Gharib, that the moon will be completely absent within the shadow of the Earth by 136.2% at the peak of the eclipse, meaning that the shade will cover more space than the moon’s disk itself, which gives the scene an exquisite astronomical phenomenon that can be followed with the naked eye without any danger to looking, unlike the eclipse of the sun that needs special protection. He pointed out that all stages of the eclipse will take about five hours and 27 minutes, including an hour and about 22 minutes, during which the moon will remain in a total eclipse.
The first stages begin at 6:28 pm Cairo time by entering the moon, semi -shadow, followed by the beginning of the partial eclipse at 7:27 pm. The total eclipse is completed at 8:31 pm to reach its peak at 9:12 pm, before the moon begins gradually out of the earth’s shadow until the phenomenon ends completely at 11:55 pm.
The professor of sun research also stressed that the phenomenon will be clearly visible in the areas where the moon appears at the time, including Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, the Americas, in addition to the oceans and northern and southern poles. He explained that the lunar eclipse is of scientific importance, as it helps in confirming the beginnings of the Hijri months, as the eclipse occurs except when the moon is in the full moon and on one line with the earth and the sun at one of the tropical nodes, which makes it enter the shadow of the earth and appears dark.
As for the reason for seeing the moon in red or orange, the professor of sun research said that it is due to gases on the cover of the Earth and dust with the refraction of sunlight on the atmosphere of the Earth, as this leads to seeing the moon in a bloody red or orange. He added that the National Institute for Astronomical Research in Egypt will hold a celebration for this phenomenon that begins on the 27th of this month, as the doors of the institute will open to citizens who want to see the phenomenon closely, with lectures and seminars to explain this astronomical phenomenon for those interested in it.
