The Moon Disappears for 5 Hours: A Stunning Total Eclipse Appears as the "Blood Moon"

The Arab region witnessed a total lunar eclipse on Sunday evening, a rare astronomical phenomenon known as the "Blood Moon," where the moon turned red. The phenomenon can be fully observed from most of Asia and Australia, while parts of it can be seen from Africa and Europe, according to the International Astronomy Center in the UAE.

The center published stunning images of the eclipse from the sky of Abu Dhabi using the Al Khateem Astronomical Observatory in the desert of the Emirati capital.

Dr. Mohamed Gharib, a solar research professor at the National Institute for Astronomical and Geophysical Research, explained that all phases of the eclipse will last about 5 hours and 27 minutes, during which the moon will be in total eclipse for 1 hour and 22 minutes, with its disappearance in the Earth's shadow at 136.2% at the peak of the eclipse.

This phenomenon occurs when the sun, Earth, and moon are perfectly aligned in that order, with the moon in the full moon phase, giving it its distinctive red color during the eclipse.