A rare total lunar eclipse, widely known as a “blood moon,” lit up the skies over Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and several Arab countries on Sunday night, September 7, marking one of the longest celestial events of its kind in recent years.
The eclipse lasted around 83 minutes, during which the moon turned a striking red as Earth passed directly between the Sun and the lunar surface. The event was also visible across Asia, Africa, Australia and parts of Europe.
In Saudi Arabia, thousands of worshippers gathered to perform Khusuf prayers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah and mosques nationwide. Similar prayers were held in the UAE in accordance with Islamic tradition during eclipses.
Astronomy enthusiasts and photographers gathered to observe this rare phenomenon, which had not been witnessed with this span and scope since 2018.
The Jeddah Astronomy Society explained that the colour was caused by sunlight filtering through Earth’s atmosphere, where blue light is scattered and red light reaches the moon.
In the UAE, the spectacle attracted widespread attention. Dubai’s Crown Prince, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, shared clips of the eclipse on Instagram, showing the blood moon over the emirate’s skyline.
Sheikh Hamdan also shared stunning images of the lunar eclipse on his Instagram Stories, capturing the blood moon’s progression over the UAE’s natural landscapes and the Dubai skyline.
The International Astronomy Centre in Abu Dhabi also documented the event using the Al Khatem Observatory, while Dubai-based photographer Rami Dibo posted a timelapse of the moon crossing the Burj Khalifa on Instagram.
The phenomenon also drew wide public attention in Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan and Egypt.
