Partial lunar eclipse of September 18, 2024? Will it be visible in Oman

Muscat: Majid bin Mohammed Al Farai, Director of Astronomical Projects at the Omani Astronomical Society, said in a statement to the Oman News Agency that the penumbral eclipse (according to the local time of the Sultanate of Oman) begins at exactly (4:41) in the morning, while the partial eclipse begins at (6:12) in the morning, while the peak of the partial eclipse is at exactly (6:44) in the morning and ends at (7:15) in the morning, while the penumbral eclipse ends at (8:47) in the morning according to the local time of the Sultanate of Oman.

Accordingly, the lunar eclipse will last approximately four hours and 6 minutes for all its stages, which are (penumbral and partial eclipses).

He explained that the residents of the Sultanate of Oman will not be able to watch the lunar eclipse, as the moon will set in Muscat Governorate at 5:54 am, i.e. before the start of the partial eclipse, and that the eclipse will be visible in many regions around the world, including Africa, Europe, the Americas, and parts of Asia, explaining that the lunar eclipse is an astronomical phenomenon that occurs when the Earth’s shadow blocks the sunlight reflected from the moon. He explained that this phenomenon occurs when the Earth, the Sun and the Moon are in a straight line.

There are three types of eclipses: a total eclipse, which occurs when the entire Moon enters the Earth’s shadow. In this case, the Moon’s disk is completely eclipsed, leading to a complete loss of vision at midnight, especially in desert areas.

A partial eclipse occurs when part of the Moon enters the Earth’s shadow. In this case, the Moon’s disk is partially eclipsed. A penumbral eclipse occurs when the Moon enters the penumbra only.

In this case, the Moon’s light becomes dim without eclipsing and is difficult to notice. He added that on the same day, we will witness the phenomenon of the giant moon after sunset at the eastern horizon, as the phenomenon of the giant moon occurs when the moon is full and is located near the closest point in its orbit around the Earth.

The moon revolves around the Earth in an elliptical orbit, and therefore the distance between the moon and the Earth changes during the month, as the moon passes once at the closest point in its orbit around the Earth and another time at the farthest point in its orbit, and therefore the size and brightness of the moon differ in one month according to its location from these two points.

He pointed out that the moon will appear about 15% larger and about 30% brighter than it is at its farthest point, due to the moon being full at 6:36 a.m. and being at its closest point to Earth at a distance of 357,336 kilometers from Earth, where its color will be reddish or orange due to dust and other particles in the atmosphere around Earth, which scatter the white light reflected from it and disperse the colors of the blue spectrum, leaving the colors of the red spectrum that we see, but after it rises and moves away from the horizon, it will appear in its usual silvery white color, and it will continue to decorate the sky throughout the night until it sets with the sunrise on Thursday.

He added that the best time to observe and photograph this astronomical phenomenon is at moonrise or sunset, when it can be compared to its surroundings, thus showing the difference in its size and brightness, stressing that it is difficult to distinguish this difference when it is high in the sky.

Majid bin Mohammed Al Farai explained that the Omani Astronomical Society will organize a public observation event at its headquarters in the city of Al Irfan in the Wilayat of Seeb to follow the phenomenon of the giant moon and watch it with its distinctive size and exceptional brightness in an educational and interactive atmosphere. Participants will be able to use advanced astronomical telescopes and benefit from a detailed explanation of the phenomenon, which will enhance their understanding of the mechanisms of astronomical phenomena and the importance of following them.

This event is also considered part of the association’s efforts to spread scientific and astronomical culture among members of society and encourage them to interact with cosmic phenomena.