Doha witnesses total lunar eclipse Sunday, 11 December 2011 01:13 A view of the moon during the lunar eclipse in Doha yesterday. SALIM MATRAMKOT DOHA: Hundreds of people in Qatar yesterday watched with naked eyes the moon’s bright glow turning to a coppery red, as it was completely covered by the earth’s shadow. The celestial spectacle was presented by the second and the last total lunar eclipse of this year, that was visible in Qatar for about 51 minutes immediately after sunset. “This was first lunar eclipse of this Hijri year and the last in 2011,” noted Qatari astronomer Sheikh Salman bin Jabor Al Thani told this newspaper last evening. A lunar eclipse occurs when the earth in course of its orbit around the sun, comes between the moon and sun in such a way that the moon is hidden in the shadow cast by the earth. This can occur only when the sun, earth and moon are aligned in a straight line. The full moon started slipping into the earth’s darker shadow at around 3.45pm, but the phenomenon was visible in Qatar only after sunset. “The total eclipse started at 5.02 pm and prevailed for 51 minutes turning the bright surface of the moon to an orange, reddish colour,” said Sheikh Salman. The total phase of the eclipse was over by 6pm but the moon remained partially covered by the earth’s shadow until around 7.30pm. Special prayers were offered in several mosques during the course of this cosmic phenomenon that happens on average every two years. THE PENINSULA

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