Your Guide to Watching the Supermoon Eclipse on Wednesday Dawn

Arab Weather - The Arab world is expected to witness a partial lunar eclipse at dawn tomorrow, Wednesday, September 18. During this phenomenon, the full moon will appear as if it is gradually eroding by only 3.5% of its surface, then it will be full again within several hours.

Supermoon and perigee distance

This eclipse will occur 9 hours before the Moon reaches its closest point to Earth (perigee), making it appear as a "supermoon" at a distance of 357,486 kilometers from Earth.

• When can we call the moon a giant?

The moon's orbit around the Earth is elliptical, causing it to approach and move away from the Earth at different times. When the moon is full and close to the Earth, this is known as a supermoon, where the moon appears larger and brighter, a phenomenon that can be seen with the naked eye.

How does an eclipse happen?

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes through the Earth's shadow. To understand the concept simply, imagine standing in a room, placing a lamp in the middle of it, and then walking around it while holding a tennis ball. When the ball passes through your shadow, it's similar to the Moon passing through the Earth's shadow.

A lunar eclipse does not occur every month because the Moon orbits in a plane slightly tilted from the plane of the Earth and the Sun. Only when this plane intersects with the Moon passing behind the Earth does an eclipse occur, which may be total or partial.

Eclipse timing in the Arab world

In the Arab world, the partial eclipse will begin at 3:41 a.m. Mecca time. But the beginning will be unnoticeable because the moon first enters an area called the "penumbra," which is not clearly visible to the naked eye.

At 5:13 Mecca time, the Moon will begin to visibly wane, then the eclipse will reach its peak at 5:44, and the Moon will be completely out of the Earth's shadow by 6:15.

It is worth noting that this eclipse will not be fully observed in the countries located in the eastern Arab world, due to its conflict with sunrise, but it will be more clearly visible in countries such as Libya and Morocco.

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