Visitors get to watch Saturn, Jupiter, partial lunar eclipse at National Planetarium

KUALA LUMPUR: Visitors at the National Planetarium on Saturday (Oct 28) night were lucky enough as they got the opportunity to witness the planets Saturn and Jupiter through observation activities organised by the agency.

There were eight telescopes provided for the visitors to watch the two planets more clearly.

However, due to the cloudy sky, the two planets could only be seen at 12.30am and by then the place was sparse as many, especially the early comers, had left.

The few remaining visitors were even patient enough to wait for another observation activity which was the partial lunar eclipse phenomenon that happened early on Sunday (Oct 29).

Planetarium Science Officer Mohd Zamri Shah Mastor said the partial lunar eclipse phenomenon started from 3.35am to 4.52am.

The captivating phenomenon of a partial lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and the moon align, though not perfectly. As a result, only a portion of the darkest part of Earth's shadow will shroud the moon, creating a visually striking contrast.

"The observation of the partial lunar eclipse was supposed to take place from 2am to 6.26am. However, it was only at 3.35am that the effects of the eclipse appeared on the surface of the moon. About 12 per cent of the moon's surface appeared dark and it occurred at its maximum at 4.52am," he told Bernama.

Meanwhile, Mohd Jamaluddin Ismail, 48, who was with his family, said they had been waiting for the moment to see the planets Saturn and Jupiter, as well as the partial lunar eclipse.

"This is the second time we (family) are here. We are really interested in astronomy and to be able to witness the natural phenomena that happened is amazing," he said.

The uniqueness of the partial lunar eclipse, as well as the appearance of the planets Saturn and Jupiter have attracted hundreds of people to the National Planetarium.- Bernama

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