NANJING, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Many Chinese stargazers have
started planning activities like gathering at observatories or
taking photos of the "red moon" days ahead of the "most-anticipated
lunar eclipse in a decade".
Saturday's total lunar eclipse is considered the best of its
kind since 2001, according to Wang Sichao, a research fellow with
Nanjing-based Zijinshan Astronomical Observatory under the Chinese
Academy of Sciences.
"It is the best because it offers people residing in China a
perfectly chance to observe the entire process," said Wang.
The next total lunar eclipse would occur in October 2014, but
the Chinese had to wait until 2018 to enjoy the entire process,
Wang added.
Saturday's eclipse started at around 7:30 p.m. Beijing Time and
would last about six hours.
According to the latest weather forecast, the eclipse will be
visible to most people living in the eastern part of the
country.
On the country's popular micro-blogging sites, topics about the
eclipse had received more than 2 million comments as of Saturday
afternoon.
Most-replied subjects include inviting friends to share the
moment or asking for suggestions on shooting better pictures.
Local newspapers and airline companies also summarized or
recommended those flights offering the best vision of the eclipse
in the air. Enditem
