Like other parts of the world, the first Penumbral Lunar Eclipse of the year 2023 begins in Pakistan, reported the 24NewsHD TV channel.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the eclipse begins at 8:14 pm to reach its greatest level at 10:23 pm, and will end at 12:32 am on May 6, it added.
Penumbral Lunar Eclipse, known as Chand Grahan, is a phenomenon that occurs when the moon is covered by Earth’s lighter or outermost shadow and is usually difficult to observe. Such an eclipse isn't as dramatic as a partial lunar eclipse or a total lunar eclipse when the moon, Earth, and sun are perfectly aligned.
Apart from Pakistan, the celestial phenomenon is visible from South/East Europe, much of Asia, Australia, Africa, the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, and Antarctica, according to the PMD statement.
The total eclipse duration will be 4 hours and 17 minutes covering Pakistan as well as Europe, Iran, Iraq, UAE, Russia, and China. It can be seen in many Asian countries
The officials said that stargazers in Asia and Australia have the best seats for the year's first lunar eclipse. The eclipse is visible from beginning to end, weather permitting, as far west as Saudi Arabia and Africa’s western coast, as far east as Japan and New Zealand’s South Island, and from the South Pole to Siberia. Almost all of Europe also got in on some of the action.