International Astronomical Centre to Livestream Total Lunar Eclipse

📷WAM

Abu Dhabi, September 6, 2025 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – The International Astronomical Centre announced it will livestream the total lunar eclipse on Sunday from the Al-Khattm Astronomical Observatory, with coverage running for four hours between 7:30 p.m. and 11:50 p.m. local time.

Engineer Mohammed Shawkat Odah, Director of the International Astronomical Centre, said the phenomenon will be visible in varying degrees across the Arab world. He explained that the Moon will rise in the eastern part of the region before the start of the eclipse, appear above the horizon in the central Arab world during its early stages, and rise in the western part during the final phases.

According to Odah, the eclipse will progress through successive stages. The Moon will enter the penumbra shadow at 7:28 p.m., followed by the partial eclipse beginning at 8:27 p.m. The total eclipse will start at 9:31 p.m., peak at 10:12 p.m., and end at 10:53 p.m. The partial eclipse will conclude at 11:57 p.m., with the entire astronomical event finishing at 12:55 a.m. on Monday, UAE time.

Odah added that the event will be clearly visible to the naked eye between 8:15 p.m. and 12:15 a.m. He noted that during the total eclipse the Moon does not disappear but takes on shades of yellow, orange, or red due to sunlight refracting through Earth’s atmosphere.

The brightness and colour of the Moon, he explained, reflect the clarity of the atmosphere, with higher pollution levels reducing refracted rays and producing darker red or brown tones. In rare cases, the Moon may vanish completely, as during the December 12, 1992 eclipse, when the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines affected atmospheric conditions.