The skies of Saudi Arabia and the UAE will witness a rare total lunar eclipse on Sunday evening, a celestial event known as the “blood moon.”

Residents in the Kingdom will be able to observe the eclipse starting at 6:27 pm KSA time, when the moon first enters the penumbral shadow. The partial phase begins at 7:27 pm, followed by the total eclipse at 8:30 pm, which will last until 9:53 pm, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The entire eclipse concludes at 11:57 p.m.

Meanwhile, the International Astronomical Center in the UAE announced that it will livestream the eclipse from the Al Khatim Observatory in Abu Dhabi, using its telescopes to capture the event between 7:30 pm and 11:50 pm local time.

The blood moon will be seen in much of Asia and Africa, as well as parts of Australia and Europe. It is expected to last for about 83 minutes, ranking among the longest total lunar eclipses in recent years.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth is positioned directly between the Sun and the Moon, causing the Moon to pass fully into Earth’s shadow.

As a result, its usual white glow fades, and it takes on a coppery-red color, the Saudi Space Agency (SSA) explained. The striking color appears because sunlight passes through Earth’s atmosphere, which scatters most wavelengths while allowing red light to reach the Moon, the SSA said.

The blood moon is safe to view with the naked eye and can be seen from anywhere on the night side of the Earth.