Aug 16 2008
Partial Lunar Eclipse, Beijing
After the solar eclipse on August 1st and the meteor shower last Tuesday, people in Beijing will look forward to another celestial treat soon. If the sky is clear, a partial lunar eclipse will be visible with naked eyes in the early morning, August 17th.
The moon will appear murky red on the sky. Although a number of partial lunar eclipses are expected next year, they will not be as spectacular.
A partial lunar eclipse takes place when the sun, Earth and moon are almost in a straight line and the Earth’s shadow falls on the moon. The degree of this lunar eclipse will be 0.81, which means 81 per cent of the moon will be covered.
It is expected to begin at 2.23am and end at 6.45am (Beijing Time). At 5.10am, the maximum amount of the moon’s surface will be covered by the Earth’s shadow, after which the eclipse will start waning.
The lunar eclipse on early Sunday morning is the second lunar eclipse this year after February 21. It will be visible across the country.
The full process of a partial lunar eclipse
A murky red moon!
This is NOT Beijing
