A rare total lunar eclipse, also known as a Blood Moon, will be visible across the UAE on Sunday evening, treating skywatchers to one of the year’s most dramatic celestial sights.
The celestial show will appear for about five and a half hours, as the Moon passes through the Earth’s shadow.
It will play out in a sequence of phases, visible across the UAE and around the world.
“This is one of the rare astronomical events happening in the UAE in 2025,” Khadijah Ahmed, operations manager at the Dubai Astronomy Group, told The National. “We will host an event for the eclipse and encourage everyone to witness it. You don’t need any special equipment – just go outside and look up.”
It will be visible to about 87 per cent of the world’s population, including those in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe and Australia.
Timeline of the dramatic phases
It begins at 7.28pm GST, when the Moon enters the faint outer edge of Earth’s shadow in what is known as the penumbral phase. The change will be faint at first, but by 8.27pm it will look as though a dark bite has been taken out of the Moon.
Totality, when the Moon is covered completely by the Earth’s shadow, will take place at 9.30pm, turning the lunar surface a striking shade of red or copper.
The eclipse reaches its peak at 10.12pm and totality continues until 10.53pm.
From there, the shadow will gradually recede, until the eclipse has ended just before 1am on Monday. The Moon will spend 82 minutes fully eclipsed, making it one of the longest total lunar eclipses in years.
Why it happens
A total lunar eclipse happens when the Sun, Earth and Moon line up perfectly, with the planet casting its shadow across the Moon.
Instead of disappearing, the Moon takes on a dramatic new look because sunlight bends through Earth’s atmosphere, which filters out the blues and lets the red and orange tones shine, giving it the Blood Moon moniker.
Where to watch the eclipse
The eclipse will be visible across all seven emirates, but skywatchers interested in a community experience can observe it with the Dubai Astronomy Group.
It is hosting a public viewing event at the Mohammed bin Rashid Library from 7pm to 11pm, with tickets priced at Dh250 ($68) for adults and Dh200 for children.
There will be telescopes and astronomy-themed activities.
The organisation will also lead a global livestream, in collaboration with observatories and astronomy groups from more than a dozen countries including Spain, Australia, India, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
The group is also plans to capture an image of the Moon eclipsed over Burj Khalifa.
Long wait for the next one
Those who miss Sunday’s spectacle will have to wait until July 6, 2028, to view another lunar eclipse in the UAE's skies.
That will only be a partial eclipse, with a portion of the Moon darkened by the Earth’s shadow. The next total lunar eclipse in the UAE will be on December 31, 2028 – a New Year’s Eve Blood Moon that will last more than five hours.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
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Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
PROFILE OF STARZPLAY
Date started: 2014
Founders: Maaz Sheikh, Danny Bates
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment/Streaming Video On Demand
Number of employees: 125
Investors/Investment amount: $125 million. Major investors include Starz/Lionsgate, State Street, SEQ and Delta Partners
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 275hp at 6,600rpm
Torque: 353Nm from 1,450-4,700rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Top speed: 250kph
Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: Dh146,999
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if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
PROFILE BOX
Company name: Overwrite.ai
Founder: Ayman Alashkar
Started: Established in 2020
Based: Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai
Sector: PropTech
Initial investment: Self-funded by founder
Funding stage: Seed funding, in talks with angel investors
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UAE%20SQUAD
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SPECS
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