Jeddah, October 29, 2023, People from regions spanning the Arab World, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia were treated to a captivating sight—an enthralling partial lunar eclipse. This celestial phenomenon graced the night sky for an impressive duration of one hour and 17 minutes, unfolding from 10:35 PM to 11:52 PM local time in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Notably, this lunar spectacle marked the final eclipse of 2023. The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) captured this celestial spectacle in striking images, as it simultaneously graced every corner of the Kingdom. The eclipse commenced its mesmerizing journey as the full moon ventured through Earth's shadow, commencing at precisely 10:35 PM.
Over the course of the evening, the moon followed its natural orbital motion around our planet, moving from west to east. Majed Abu Zahra, President of the Jeddah Astronomy Society, pointed out that the partial eclipse reached its zenith at 11:14 PM, a mere 39 minutes after its onset. During this peak, Earth's shadow embraced 6% of the moon's circumference.
A mere ten minutes later, the moon reverted to its familiar full moon appearance, having completed half of its orbit around Earth for the month, as explained by Abu Zahra. Furthermore, he highlighted that the partial lunar eclipse has historically served as compelling evidence of Earth's spherical shape, as keen observers can discern the gracefully curved form of Earth's shadow cast upon the moon's surface during the pinnacle of the eclipse.
