Around the world, amateur stargazers and astronomers watched the first total lunar eclipse in three years. A dark red shadow crept across the moon, leaving only a silver, crescent-shaped sliver as a total lunar eclipse began late yesterday. The eclipse was partly visible on every continent. Residents of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East will have the best view, weather permitting.

Lunar eclipses occur when Earth passes between the sun and the moon, an uncommon event because the moon spends most of its time either above or below the plane of Earth's orbit. Sunlight still reaches the moon during total eclipses, but it is refracted through Earth's atmosphere, bathing the moon in an eerie reddish light.

Residents of East Asia will see the eclipse cut short by moonset, while those in the eastern parts of North and South America will find the moon already partially or totally eclipsed by the time it rises over the horizon in the evening. While eastern Australia, Alaska and New Zealand missed yesterday's show, they will have front row seats to the next total lunar eclipse, on Aug. 28. In Male’ too the eclipse was visible very clearly around 3 in the morning. Lot of Male’ residents have stayed up to witness this event. The next total lunar eclipse will occur Aug. 28.

Labels: Under Technology:First total lunar eclipse in three years