A rare total lunar eclipse, creating a ‘red moon’, coincided with Ramadan for the first time in years, drawing crowds to observatories despite cloudy conditions
KUALA LUMPUR: A striking ‘red moon’ graced the sky during Ramadan in a rare total lunar eclipse. National Planetarium principal assistant director Nur Fazilah Mohamad Hanafiah described it as a unique astronomical event.
“This is the first time a full lunar eclipse has occurred during Ramadan in my tenure,” she told Bernama. She noted there had been solar eclipses before, but this total lunar eclipse was a first.
The phenomenon was not fully visible in the capital due to unfavourable weather. Visitors still witnessed the partial eclipse phase when the cloud cover thinned.
The eclipse began at 4.44 pm with the penumbral phase. The partial phase started at 5.50 pm before reaching totality at 7.33 pm.
For Peninsular Malaysia, the phenomenon was visible from 7.26 pm. Sabah witnessed it earlier around 6.30 pm, followed by Sarawak at about 7 pm.
Despite cloudy skies, many members of the public remained at the observatory grounds. They followed the event through telescopes and live broadcasts on large screens.
The Malaysian Space Agency announced the next total lunar eclipse visible in Malaysia is expected on Dec 31, 2028. A Bernama survey found visitors came prepared with food to break their fast while waiting.
“So far, the response has been very encouraging,” said Nur Fazilah. Many visitors came with families to observe the moon’s movement using telescope facilities.
Visitor Wan Nurhanim Wan Mansor brought her family from Seri Kembangan for the event. Although the ‘red moon’ was not fully visible, she said the experience offered valuable exposure for her children.
“I wanted to expose them to real-life learning,” she said. Her children previously only watched such events on screens but experienced the observatory atmosphere tonight.
Meanwhile, the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Department encouraged several mosques to hold special eclipse prayers. This was in conjunction with the rare phenomenon.
