KUWAIT: Kuwait will witness the longest total lunar eclipse of the century on Friday, going up for one hour and 45 minutes, said Kuwait Science Club yesterday. The lunar eclipse will go through different phases including penumbral eclipse where the moon passes through earth's penumbral shadow, partial eclipse, total eclipse, partial again and then back to penumbral, head of the Department of Astronomy and Space at the club Ali Bo Abbas said in a press statement. He added that the process will start at 8:14 pm and will end at 2:29 am local time.

People will be unable to observe the penumbral stage; however, they can see the partial stage with the naked eye starting at 9:24 pm. Bo Abbas added that the total eclipse will occur at 10:29 pm and end at 12:13 am on Saturday. This rare astronomical phenomenon occurred last century, about 100 years ago, said Bo Abbas, noting that the moon will turn to deep red at the total eclipse phase and will be at the furthest point away from earth, which is about 402,000 km. - KUNA