ISLAMABAD: A spectacular total lunar eclipse will be visible across Pakistan on Sunday (September 7) night, offering skywatchers a chance to witness the so-called “Blood Moon.”
According to the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco), the eclipse will begin at 8:30pm, reach its peak at 11:57pm, and end at 1:55am.
The whole lunar eclipse will last for nearly five and a half hours, with the total red phase stretching for 1 hour and 22 minutes.
Who can see lunar eclipse?
The commission said the event will be visible in most parts of Asia, Africa and Europe, and, weather permitting, in much of Pakistan.
Astronomy enthusiasts, students and the general public will be able to enjoy the rare spectacle through the night.
Unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse is completely safe to view with the naked eye, binoculars, or a telescope.
The Moon will also appear slightly larger than usual since the event occurs just days before its closest approach to Earth.
Why its called blood moon?
According to Suparco, the phenomenon occurs when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, casting its shadow on the lunar surface.
As Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon, sunlight passing through our atmosphere filters out shorter wavelengths, leaving behind only red light, the same effect that paints the sky crimson at sunset.
Sunday’s eclipse is referred to as a “Blood Moon” because the Moon takes on a reddish hue when the Earth’s shadow falls on it.
Ryan Milligan, an astronomer at Queen’s University Belfast, explained that the red glow appears as sunlight passing through the Earth’s atmosphere is refracted and scattered onto the Moon’s surface.
This will be the second total lunar eclipse of 2025, with more eclipses expected in March 2026 and August 2026.
