Blood Moon eclipse to dazzle Brits in days – but there’s a rare spectacle coming soon that won’t be seen again for years
THE Moon is set to turn an eerie shade of red in a matter of days as a partial lunar eclipse descends over the UK.
Part of the Moon will be in Earth's shadow and hidden from the Sun during the special spectacle.
Usually, the Moon is in full view of the Sun, causing it to shine a brilliant white.
The partial lunar eclipse is set to take place on March 14.
But you'll need to set your alarms early to catch a glimpse with your own eyes.
The Moon moves into Earth's penumbra - the lighter part of its shadow - at 3.57am.
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Then at 6.19am it'll reach the peak.
However, the best time to see it is during the actual maximum at 6.58am.
For the best chance, you'll need to get to a high point with a clear western view.
Edward Bloomer, senior astronomy manager at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, recently offered a little-known trick for skygazers.
"If you take photos and boost the colour you can actually see a reddish sort of rainbow effect as the Moon moves into the umbra - you get pink and purple in there too," he told The Sun.
But if you miss the Blood Moon, fear not, as another even rarer display is coming later this year.
Brits will be treated to a total lunar eclipse in September.
The last time we got to see one was back in 2019.
The total lunar eclipse takes place on September 7.
It will not only be visible across parts of the UK, but also other European countries, Asia, Australia and Africa.
The next one won't happen until December 31, 2028.
What is a Blood Moon? Lunar eclipses explained
Here's what you need to know...
The Earth is constantly rotating around the Sun, and the Moon is constantly rotating around the Earth.
Sometimes all three can align, placing the Earth directly between the Sun and the Moon in a straight line.
It means the Moon is in the darkest part of Earth’s shadow – the “umbra”.
And due to convenient sizing and distancing of all three objects, no sunlight can directly reach the Moon.
However, some sunlight is refracted by Earth’s atmosphere, making the Moon appear reddish – hence the name “Blood Moon”.
Lunar eclipses typically last just a few hours, and can be viewed from anywhere on the night side of Earth.
Because they’re typically quite dim, it’s also possible to view lunar eclipses without eye protection, which isn’t the case with a solar eclipse.
There are three different types of lunar eclipse:
- Total lunar eclipse – This is where the Moon turns deep red, receiving only light that’s passed through Earth’s atmosphere.
- Penumbral lunar eclipse – This is when the Sun, Moon and Earth fail to form a perfect straight line, so the Moon only travels through the outer part of Earth’s shadow. This means the Moon’s surface is partly darkened.
- Partial lunar eclipse – This is when part of the Moon travels through Earth’s full shadow, which results in part of the Moon being darkened.