The recent partial lunar eclipse on October 28, 2023, provided a thrilling celestial event for millions of stargazers in the Eastern Hemisphere, just days before Halloween. This eclipse, which coincided with October’s Full Hunter’s Moon, offered a spooky sight as a portion of the moon vanished into the darkness of Earth’s shadow.
The lunar eclipse was visible from various countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, and parts of Australia. Some lucky observers in select U.S. states, including New York, Alaska, and North Carolina, also had the opportunity to witness the final stages of the eclipse. For those who couldn’t see it firsthand, there were livestream webcasts available on TimeandDate.com and the Virtual Telescope Project in Ceccano, Italy.
TimeandDate.com captured remarkable video footage of the entire lunar eclipse using telescopes placed in Bergen, Norway, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Perth, Australia. During the eclipse’s final moments, the telescope in Norway captured a truly awe-inspiring sight: the fading lunar eclipse with the brilliant planet Jupiter shining to the upper right of the moon.
In Dubai, almost 200 spectators gathered at the Al Thuraya Astronomy Center in Mushrif Park to witness the lunar eclipse in the company of the Dubai Astronomy Group. They were able to enjoy the event without distractions, as Khadijah Ahmad, operations manager of the Dubai Astronomy Group, mentioned during the livestream. A setup of eight telescopes allowed the public to observe and capture images of the eclipse.
Even though it was a cloudy evening in London, England, one determined skywatcher managed to catch a glimpse of the eclipse. Sharing stunning photos on X (formerly known as Twitter), the observer expressed their excitement that their clouds had cleared just in time for the climax at 9:14 pm.
Meanwhile, in Delhi, India, another observer had an equally thrilling experience, witnessing a clear lunar eclipse for the first time. They tweeted about their excitement at seeing the partially covered moon appearing black.
Social media platforms such as X were filled with incredible photos and experiences shared by eclipse watchers from all over the world. People posted their images and videos capturing the event’s peak, providing a global perspective on the stunning phenomenon.
The partial lunar eclipse lasted approximately 4.5 hours, beginning at 2:01 p.m. EDT and ending at 6:26 p.m. EDT. It was classified as a partial eclipse because the moon only partially moved into Earth’s darkest shadow, known as the umbra.
This was the last lunar eclipse of 2023. The next one will occur on March 24, 2024 but will be less striking, as the moon will only pass through the Earth’s outer shadow, known as the penumbra. However, this eclipse will serve as a preview for the highly anticipated total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, visible from Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
If you’re planning to observe future Full Hunter’s Moons or engage in night sky photography, check out our guide on the best telescopes, binoculars, cameras, and lenses for astrophotography. And if you manage to capture an incredible image of the Hunter’s Moon, feel free to share it with Space.com’s readers by sending your photo(s), comments, name, and location to [email protected].
