Total lunar eclipse witnessed

By Cho Jae-hyon

Stargazers were able to watch the spectacular sight of a total lunar eclipse overnight in Gangwon Province and some other eastern coastal areas.

But heavy cloud cover, which blanketed the night sky, stripped residents of Seoul and most other regions of the chance to witness what was the last full eclipse until 2018.

The Earth’s shadow began creeping across the moon’s disk from 9:45 p.m. Saturday, with the stunning display lasting for about three and a half hours on the east coast, weather officials said.

“A partial eclipse is witnessed several times a year on the Korean Peninsula. But this is the first time in 11 years since July 16, 2000 that this whole process of full lunar eclipse has been witnessed here,” said an official from the Korea Meteorological Administration. “We won’t be able to see the next full eclipse until Jan. 31, 2018.”

The moon appeared red during the eclipse. The apparent color change is caused by a scattering of sunlight as it passes through the Earth’s atmosphere, removing blue light and passing on the red, some of which illuminates the moon.