A LUNAR eclipse will turn the Moon a deep crimson in days.
Astronomers have revealed exactly when Brits should look to the skies to spot the upcoming Blood Moon.
A total lunar eclipse sees the Earth blotting out the sunlight for the Moon[/caption]
It’s due to take place next week and should be visible all across the UK.
This one is going to be particularly tricky to see – but astronomers have shared how to get the best chance of viewing it.
WHAT IS A BLOOD MOON?
A Blood Moon is the popular name for a scientific phenomenon known as a total lunar eclipse.
There are several types of lunar eclipses that can occur.
The least thrilling is the penumbral lunar eclipse.
This is when the Moon travels through the outer part of the Earth‘s shadow – the penumbra – which is faint.
It happens if the Earth is positioning between the Sun and Moon but all three don’t line up perfectly.
More exciting is the partial lunar eclipse, which also sees the Moon passing through the penumbra – but also the umbra, which is the darkest part of Earth’s shadow.
So you’ll see much of the Moon looking darkened, by part of the Moon will be shadowed by the eclipse.
The gold standard is the total lunar eclipse, which will see the Moon turn a deep red.
This happens when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are all lined up.
When that occurs, the Moon is passing through the umbra, the darkest part of Earth’s shadow.
Normally the Moon’s light that we see is reflected from the Sun, giving it a bright white appearance.
But during a total lunar eclipse, it’s only being lit up by light that has passed through Earth’s atmosphere and then refracted back towards the Moon.
Total lunar eclipses turn the Moon an eerie reddish colour[/caption]
This gives it the Moon a dark red colour because it’s only getting refracted light and not direct sunlight.
WHEN IS THE NEXT LUNAR ECLIPSE IN THE UK?
The next total lunar eclipse (and lunar eclipse in general) to occur in the UK will take place on September 7, 2025.
After that, we’re expecting a partial lunar eclipse on August 28, 2026.
If you want to see another total lunar eclipse after the September event, you’ll have to wait until December 21, 2028, and then June 14, 2031.
The Moon – our closest neighbour explained
Here's what you need to know…
- The Moon is a natural satellite – a space-faring body that orbits a planet
- It’s Earth’s only natural satellite, and is the fifth biggest in the Solar System
- The Moon measures 2,158 miles across, roughly 0.27 times the diameter of Earth
- Temperatures on the Moon range from minus 173 degrees Celcius to 260 degrees Celcius
- Experts assumed the Moon was another planet, until Nicolaus Copernicus outlined his theory about our Solar System in 1543
- It was eventually assigned to a “class” after Galileo discovered four moons orbiting Jupiter in 1610
- The Moon is believed to have formed around 4.51billion years ago
- The strength of its gravitational field is about a sixth of Earth’s gravity
- Earth and the Moon have “synchronous rotation”, which means we always see the same side of the Moon – hence the phrase “dark side of the Moon”
- The Moon’s surface is actually dark, but appears bright in the sky due to its reflective ground
- During a solar eclipse, the Moon covers the Sun almost completely. Both objects appear a similar size in the sky because the Sun is both 400 times larger and farther
- The first spacecraft to reach the Moon was in 1959, as part of the Soviet Union’s Lunar program
- The first manned orbital mission was Nasa’s Apollo 8 in 1968
- And the first manned lunar landing was in 1969, as part of the Apollo 11 mission
HOW TO SPOT THE SEPTEMBER 2025 LUNAR ECLIPSE
According to the Royal Observatory Greenwich, the September lunar eclipse will be visible in the UK.
But there are a couple of catches.
The first is that it’ll be tricky to see as the Moon will be low.
And the second is that a cloudy night will ruin your chances of seeing the eclipse – so fingers crossed for clear skies.
This image shows the early stages of the May 2022 total lunar eclipse, with the Moon beginning to darken[/caption]
If you want to spot the lunar eclipse, astronomers have revealed the best time to look up.
“The Moon will rise above the horizon just in time for us to see this total lunar eclipse from the UK,” the Royal Observatory Greenwich explained.
“The maximum will occur at 7.33pm BST from the UK, with the eclipse’s actual maximum at 7.11pm when the Moon is below the horizon.
“The Moon will then gradually move out of Earth’s umbra and penumbra until 9.55pm.
“As the Moon will be low on the horizon and quite difficult to see, find a high point with a clear view to the East to see the most of this eclipse.”
The last total lunar eclipse in the UK took place on May 16, 2022, and there was one before that in July 2018.
