Partial Lunar Eclipse Will Be Visible over Saudi Arabia on Wednesday

The partial lunar eclipse can be easily observed with the naked eye, without special equipment. (SPA)
The partial lunar eclipse can be easily observed with the naked eye, without special equipment. (SPA)
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Partial Lunar Eclipse Will Be Visible over Saudi Arabia on Wednesday

The partial lunar eclipse can be easily observed with the naked eye, without special equipment. (SPA)
The partial lunar eclipse can be easily observed with the naked eye, without special equipment. (SPA)

A partial lunar eclipse will be visible from Earth early Wednesday morning, said the Jeddah Astronomy Society.

Society Director Eng. Majed Abu Zahra said the partial eclipse will be visible across Europe, much of Asia, Africa, North and South America, the Pacific, Atlantic, the Indian Oceans, the Arctic, and Antarctica.

The eclipse will last for one hour and three minutes, from 5:12 am to 6:15 am Saudi time. It will be the only local lunar eclipse of 2024, he added.

"The eclipse will begin simultaneously across all regions of Saudi Arabia as the full moon enters Earth's shadow at 5:12 am. The moon will then traverse from west to east in Earth's shadow, following its natural orbital path," he explained.

"The eclipse will reach its maximum at 5:44 am, with 3.9% of the moon's surface covered by Earth's shadow. After this peak, the moon will set in conjunction with sunrise in various parts of Saudi Arabia. It may appear reddish-copper or orange during this time, due to its proximity to the horizon and atmospheric effects, rather than the eclipse itself," he said.

Globally, observers will witness the moon gradually emerging from Earth's shadow until the partial eclipse ends and the moon's full illumination returns by 6:15 am.

Abu Zahra said the moon will be at perigee (the point in the moon orbit at which it is nearest to the earth) during this eclipse, which will make it appear larger. At the eclipse's peak, the moon's apparent diameter will be 6.7% larger than average, marking it the second supermoon of 2024.

Because it is close to the autumn equinox, it is also called harvest moon.

The partial lunar eclipse can be easily observed with the naked eye, without special equipment. However, binoculars or a small telescope can provide a clearer view of the moon's details.

Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses do not pose any risk to the eyes, so no special precautions are necessary.



First Skydiver to Fall Faster than the Speed of Sound Dies in Crash in Italy, City’s Mayor Says

Austria skydiver Felix Baumgartner holds the Laureus World Action Sportsperson trophy as he poses for pictures during the Year at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 11, 2013. (AP)
Austria skydiver Felix Baumgartner holds the Laureus World Action Sportsperson trophy as he poses for pictures during the Year at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 11, 2013. (AP)
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First Skydiver to Fall Faster than the Speed of Sound Dies in Crash in Italy, City’s Mayor Says

Austria skydiver Felix Baumgartner holds the Laureus World Action Sportsperson trophy as he poses for pictures during the Year at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 11, 2013. (AP)
Austria skydiver Felix Baumgartner holds the Laureus World Action Sportsperson trophy as he poses for pictures during the Year at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 11, 2013. (AP)

Extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner, the first skydiver to fall faster than the speed of sound during a 24-mile leap through the stratosphere more than a decade ago, died in a crash Thursday along the eastern coast of Italy, according to an official where the crash occurred. He was 56.

Italian firefighters who responded said a paraglider crashed into the side of a swimming pool in the city of Porto Sant Elpidio.

The city's mayor, Massimiliano Ciarpella, confirmed Baumgartner's death in a social media post.

“Our community is deeply affected by the tragic disappearance of Felix Baumgartner, a figure of global prominence, a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flight," the mayor said.

Baumgartner, known as “Fearless Felix,” stunned the world in 2012 when he became the first human to break the sound barrier with only his body. He wore a pressurized suit and jumped from a capsule hoisted more than 24 miles (39 kilometers) above Earth by a giant helium balloon over New Mexico.

The Austrian, who was part of the Red Bull Stratos team, topped out at 843.6 mph — the equivalent of 1.25 times the speed of sound — during a nine-minute descent.

“When I was standing there on top of the world, you become so humble, you do not think about of breaking records anymore, you do not think of about gaining scientific data. The only thing you want is to come back alive,” he said after landing in the eastern New Mexico desert.

The altitude he jumped from also marked the highest-ever for a skydiver, shattering the previous record set in 1960 by Joe Kittinger, who served as an adviser to Baumgartner during his feat.

Baumgartner’s altitude record stood for two years until Google executive Alan Eustace set new marks for the highest free-fall jump and greatest free-fall distance.

In 2012, millions watched YouTube’s livestream as Baumgartner coolly flashed a thumbs-up when he came out of the capsule high above Earth and then activated his parachute as he neared the ground, lifting his arms in victory after he landed.

He later said traveling faster than sound is “hard to describe because you don’t feel it.”

“Sometimes we have to get really high to see how small we are,” he said.