15 June 2011
Lunar eclipse
The photo shows a stage of a total lunar eclipse, which was visible in Egypt, on 4 May 2004.
Photo by Aymen Ibrahem, Senior Astronomy Specialist
On the evening of Wednesday, 15 June 2011, a total eclipse of the Moon will be visible in the skies of Egypt. The eclipse begins at 07:24:34 p.m. (Egypt Standard Time), when the Moon enters Earth’s extensive shadow. The partial phase of the eclipse begins at 08:22:56 p.m., when the Moon enters the central dark portion of Earth’s shadow, while totality occurs at 09:22:30 p.m., and lasts 100 minutes. The eclipse ends at 01:00:45 a.m., on 16 June, when the Moon exits Earth’s shadow. The eclipse will also be visible in Africa, Australia, South America, and most of Europe and Asia.
Total lunar eclipses are among the most beautiful natural phenomena. They occur when the Earth, Moon and Sun are aligned, with Earth between the Sun and the Moon. During totality, the Moon shines in fascinating reddish hues, due to sunlight, refracted in Earth’s atmosphere. The eclipsed Moon is even more spectacular, when viewed through the telescope or binoculars.
Earth’s immense shadow is round, and extends in space for hundreds of thousands of kilometers. It consists of two parts, a central dark region, termed the umbra, and an exterior lighter portion, termed the penumbra. Lunar eclipses begin when the Moon moves into the penumbra. This stage is known as the penumbral eclipse, and is less noticeable than the partial and total stages, which occur when the Moon plunges into the umbra.
Aymen Mohamed Ibrahem
Senior Astronomy Specialist