Partial lunar eclipse today will begin at 6.16pm

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Partial lunar eclipse on Saturday
By Zhao Quan Yin, Sharon See | Posted: 25 June 2010 2114 hrs
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SINGAPORE : It is a full-moon day this Saturday, but for about three hours in the early evening, half of it will be obscured. The partial lunar eclipse will begin at 6.16pm.

Prof Lim Tit Meng, chief executive of Science Centre Singapore, said: "The eclipse process will start about 6.16pm on Saturday evening. However, we can't see that as the moon is still quite low. And by the time we can see the moon with the eclipse, the eclipse has already happened."

At the peak of the eclipse, 54 per cent of the moon's surface will be shadowed.

To view this celestial event, the Science Centre has set up nearly 20 telescopes for astronomy buffs and the public.

There will also be talks by experts from The Astronomical Society of Singapore and a former NASA engineer.

Prof Lim said: "Because this time the eclipse happens quite early in the evening, so the best place to see this is actually on the eastern side of Singapore. So Changi beach, Marine Parade - these are all good places to see the initial stages of the eclipse."

"About 7.45pm, we can see half of the moon being darkened because of the shadow of the Earth cast on the Moon surface. And from then on, you see the shadow moving away, and the Moon will return to its brightness."

- CNA/al