KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians can catch a glimpse of the 'super blue blood moon' tomorrow, beginning 6.51pm to just after midnight at about 12.08am.
The phenomenon would make it appearance for about five hours and 17 minutes and could be viewed over the skies of Eastern Europe, East Africa, Asia (including Malaysia), Australia and North America.
The eclipse will happen as the moon rises in the eastern horizon (except in Sabah and Sarawak - eclipse begins after the moon rises) and the maximum full eclipse phase will be at 9:29 pm.
The National Space Agency said the full moon eclipse occurs when the sun, earth and moon are aligned.
“The moon will gradually turn from the white pearl colour we see every day to reddish and then to its original colour during the five-hour period.
“The lunar eclipse tomorrow differs from other eclipses and full moons depending on several factors including the position of the earth’s atmosphere and the position of the moon along its orbit.
“During the eclipse, the moon actually has just crossed the perigee position on Jan 30 with a distance of 358,993 kilometers from earth and thus making this an "Eclipse Supermoon' (the definition of ‘Supermoon' is when the moon’s distance is less than 360,000 kilometers from earth),” said the agency.
No specific equipment is needed to enjoy this phenomenon.
The main thing is the weather conditions in each place as it happens.
However, the use of telescopes and binoculars will help to see more clearly.
Meanwhile, the Malaysia Langkawi National Observatory, will be hold activities for the public to witness the phenomenon.
Mobile telescopes will be available to visitors for free.
Among locations that can be visited for observation activities are the National Planetarium, Kuala Lumpur, Teluk Kemang Observatory, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor Observatory, Sungai Lang Parit Baru, Sungai Ayer Tawar, Ceral Al-Khawarizmi Hall, Tanjung Bidara, Melaka, Tok Jembal Beach, Terengganu (organised by Kusza Observatory), Tun Mustapha Tower, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (Sabah Stargazers Observatory) and Observatory of Kota Bharu, Kampung Kubang Rawa, Salor, Kelantan.