Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — The Kingdom, like other countries in the region, experienced a partial lunar eclipse that lasted for about two hours on Monday night.

The eclipse began at 8:23 p.m. in Jeddah and reached its peak at 9:20 p.m. before ending at 10:18 p.m, according to Hasan Mohammed Asiri of the department of astronomical sciences of King Abdulaziz University, who held a viewing event of the eclipse at the university. The university also held an exhibition on the sclipse.

Special prayers were held across the Kingdom during eclipse in accordance with the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, traditions.

Sheikh Awad Al Juhani, imam led special prayer in Grand Mosque in Makkah and also elaborated about the lunar and solar system that was created by Allah. Al Juhani also urged people to follow the path shown by Prophet Muhammad in order to lead a righteous life thereby pleasing Allah.

Special prayers were also held in various mosques of the city.

A partial lunar eclipse occurs when the earth comes in between the sun and moon, and the moon enters the earth’s shadow, yet they are not precisely aligned.

A small part of the moon's surface is covered by the darkest, central part of the earth's shadow, called the umbra. The rest of the moon is covered by the outer part of the earth's shadow called the penumbra.

Unlike a solar eclipse that takes only minutes, a lunar eclipse takes hours due to size of the earth.