Star-gazers in Viet Nam will be able to observe the full 5 hours of a partial lunar eclipse early this week.

(Photo: BDNews24)

The phenomenon will be visible with the bare eye across the entire country, as well as most parts of South and East Asia, Europe, Africa and Australia.

People in Viet Nam can watch all phases of the eclipse from 10:50 pm on Monday to 3:50 am the next morning, according to a source from the Viet Nam Amateur Club of Astronomy.

A partial lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth moves between the sun and moon but they do not form a perfectly straight line in space.  Part of the moon’s surface is then covered by the darkest, central part of the Earth’s shadow, called the umbra.

It can occur only on the night of a full moon.

A lunar eclipse occurs about 2 weeks before or after a solar eclipse, which this time will take place on 21 August.  It has been dubbed the Great American Eclipse as it will be visible to most people in North America for the first time in 38 years.

(Source: VnExpress International)