People across China expect to witness a total lunar eclipse in the early hours of Monday for the first time in nearly three years.
The total lunar eclipse will be visible in its entirety across the country, during which the moon will appear a rare crimson hue.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, earth, and moon align, causing the moon to enter the earth's shadow. The shadow consists of the umbra and the penumbra: a total eclipse happens when the moon is fully in the umbra, a partial eclipse when only part enters, and a penumbral eclipse when it passes only through the penumbra.
The total lunar eclipse will begin at 23:28 on Sunday evening and conclude at 04:55 on Monday morning, Beijing time. The totality phase, known as the "red moon," will last from 01:31 to 02:53, with a duration of one hour and 22 minutes.
"A lunar eclipse is rare. It occurs when the earth moves right in the middle of the moon and the sun, blocking the sunlight from shining on the moon. The total lunar eclipse this time will last for a relatively long time as it will enter the earth's shadow quite deeply. It will last for nearly 80 minutes, or nearly one and a half hours," said Kou Wen, an expert at Beijing Planetarium.
"Because the earth is surrounded by a thick atmosphere, some sunlight can be refracted and scattered by the atmosphere, and a portion of the light will fall on the moon. Moreover, most of this light is long-wavelength red light. Therefore, during a total lunar eclipse, the moon appears to be red, orange, or even bronze in color," said Kou.
This eclipse can be observed with the naked eye under good weather conditions.
Total lunar eclipse to be visible across China Sunday night
