ATHENS, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Atop the hill of Pnyx in the center of Athens, hundreds of people gathered at the National Observatory on Monday night to observe two spectacular celestial phenomena, the full moon and the partial lunar eclipse.
Continuing a tradition for many years, dozens of museums and astronomical sites across Greece remained open at night with free admission offering visitors the opportunity to celebrate August's full moon.
Tourists enjoy an uncluttered view of the Acropolis hill and the Parthenon on the top of the Pnyx hill, the birthplace of democracy where the Athenians held the popular assemblies back in 5 BC.
"Part of the surface of the moon is going to be covered by the side of the Earth as our satellite enters the side of the Earth about 24 percent. So, as the moon will be full a part of its surface will be dark," Anastasia-Fiori Metallinou, astrophysicist at the National Observatory told Xinhua.
The partial lunar eclipse lasted two hours from the moment the moon entered the umbra to when it exited. The partial lunar eclipse was visible from most parts of Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa and Australia.
"Lunar eclipses can be seen two or three times per year. Even though this is not a total one, it is impressive as well," she added.
Filled with romance, joy and enthusiasm, sky-gazers observed the moon with portable telescopes or just by naked eyes, and captured the moment.
"People are very interested in astronomy, including observing the sky, the moon and other planets. Whenever we open the door of the observatory, hundreds of people will come," Metallinou said.
Visitors also took the opportunity to use the Doridis telescope which was built by the French company of P.F. Gaultier in 1902.
"Our family came to the National Observatory to enjoy the full moon. The view is magnificent and we all enjoyed the magical phenomenon. It is an escape from the monotony of the city and the experience is quite romantic," Dimitris Tassoulas and his wife Ada told Xinhua.
August is always the time to celebrate full moon in Athens. Despite the high temperature, people of all ages strolled around the city in the moonlight to attend concerts, watch theatrical performances and so forth.
To celebrate the full moon, the National Archaeological Museum of Athens hosted the "Night-time Stories" event, feasting visitors with exhibits such as gold treasures of Mycenae, Cycladic figurines and ancient sculptures.
"In various spots of the museum, archaeologists and tour guides present stories of the night based on the museum's exhibits. After those charming stories, people can attend a concert at the beautiful garden of the museum, where Greek singer Iro Saya with her musicians will give another dimension in the evening," Maria Lagogianni, director of the National Archaeological Museum, told Xinhua.
For Ravi who came from London to Santorini for holidays and visited Athens for the first time, the night experience at the museum was unique.
"It is amazing to see a museum open at 12 o'clock at night. (I've) never experienced it before," he said. "Everybody was saying 'this is open; it is free' and we did not want to miss it."
