DAMMAM, 4 May 2004 — Tonight will feature a total eclipse of the moon, said astronomer Jaber S. Jumah. The eclipse will begin at 9:48 p.m. and by 10:52 p.m. the moon will be fully in the Earth’s shadow.
“We will still see the moon, which will have a deep red hue — the effect of the Earth’s atmosphere reflecting onto the moon,” said Jumah in the Arabian Sun weekly. “It will be very beautiful, as if the moon is covered by a thin, sheer veil.”
The total eclipse will last an hour and 16 minutes. At 12:08 a.m. the moon will start to move gradually out of the Earth’s shadow until 1:12 a.m. The duration of the celestial event will be three hours and 24 minutes.
