Lunar eclipse visible in Pakistan like other parts of globe

ISLAMABAD: People in Pakistan started witnessing lunar eclipse on Sunday night — a fascinating celestial phenomenon visible across Asia and Africa as well as parts of Antarctica, Australia, Europe and Americas.

However, at least some Pakistanis perhaps won’t be able to see the blood moon because of cloudy weather.

It is the second total lunar eclipse of 2025 that will transform the full moon into a coppery-red “blood moon”.

The last total lunar eclipse was in March this year, while the one before that was in 2022.

On Sunday, the lunar eclipse started at 20:30 GMT — 8:30pm PST — with the penumbral phase, making the Moon entering the faint outer shadow of Earth, which is a subtle start to tonight’s Blood Moon spectacle.

With the Moon entering the penumbra, the process causes a subtle dimming that is often hard to detect with the naked eye.

The entire cycle would end at 22:55 GMT — 3:55am PST — with the completion of the post-totality penumbral eclipse.

However, the total lunar eclipse will last 82 minutes, from 19:30 to 20:52 GMT, corresponding to 11:30pm to 12:52pm PST, a process that had started by the time this report updated.

Before and after total eclipse, the Moon passes through two other phases:

Penumbral lunar eclipse – A more subtle occurrence, where the Moon travels through the outer part of Earth’s shadow, resulting in a faint dimming.

Partial lunar eclipse – when only a portion of the Moon passes into Earth’s shadow, creating a visible dark segment.

Read more: Upcoming lunar eclipse: Moon visibility in Pakistan

WHY DO WE SEE ‘BLOOD MOON’?

Considered a bad omen, a blood moon is a popular term and cultural connotation for a total lunar eclipse.

But why this reddish appearance?

It is a result of “Rayleigh scattering” a phenomenon which also makes the sky blue and sunsets red.

Technically speaking, “Rayleigh scattering” scatters more of the shorter blue wavelength light, allowing the longer red wavelength light to remain visible.