The moon will flip pink within the evening sky quickly in an occasion generally known as a blood moon.
The phenomenon solely occurs a handful of instances a 12 months, and 14 March is your subsequent probability to identify one within the UK.
A blood moon is a full lunar eclipse, occurring when the Earth passes between the moon and the solar.
From the UK, solely a partial lunar eclipse shall be seen, which means solely a part of the moon will seem pink.
However when is it, what precisely will you see, and what causes it? This is all the pieces it’s good to know.
When is the blood moon?
Those that wish to see it should get off the bed early on Friday 14 March.
That is as a result of the eclipse will begin to be seen at 3.57am, turning into significantly noticeable at 5.09am, in response to the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
It says the utmost of the eclipse in London shall be at 6.19am.
Picture:
A full lunar eclipse seen over Hamburg, Germany in 2023. Pic: Marcus Brandt/picture-alliance/dpa/AP
The total lunar eclipse shall be at 6.58am UK time. However that may solely be seen to folks in North and South America, as a result of within the UK the moon will have already got set under the horizon.
What is going to you see?
At 3.57am, the moon will transfer into the Earth’s penumbra – the lighter a part of its shadow – making elements of it seem darkish, explains Imo Bell, astronomy training assistant on the Observatory.
Picture:
Partial lunar eclipse seen in Liverpool final 12 months. Pic: PA
Then at 5.09am, the a part of the moon in shadow will flip reddish because the moon strikes into the darker a part of Earth’s shadow, generally known as the umbra.
How can I see it clearly?
The phenomenon shall be clear with the bare eye, climate allowing.
You may give your self the very best probability of a superb shot by getting a transparent view of the western horizon from 5.09am, Bell says.
This can let you see the Earth’s shadow steadily cowl the moon whereas it strikes in the direction of the horizon, earlier than it units after 6.19am.
“Wales, Northern Ireland, Cornwall and western parts of Scotland will be favourable because you want to delay the moon sinking below the horizon for as long as possible, so the more west, the better,” provides Bell, who describes their first blood moon expertise, in 2008, as “magical”.
“My dad used mugs to explain how the sun, Earth, and moon would form a perfect line and then let us stay up way past bedtime to head out into the cold to watch the moon turn red,” Bell says.
Picture:
A partial lunar eclipse is seen above Tynemouth Priory in 2019. Pic: PA
What causes a blood moon?
It’s attributable to the Earth passing between the moon and the solar, generally known as a lunar eclipse.
Throughout a complete lunar eclipse, the Earth utterly stops daylight from immediately hitting the moon because the solar and the Earth completely align with it.
Solely gentle that’s refracted by Earth’s environment manages to achieve the moon, with all the pieces exterior of the pink wavelengths being scattered, leaving the moon trying blood pink.
“This is due to the scattering of bluer hues in the sun’s light through our atmosphere, leaving only oranges and reds to reach the moon – the same reason we get reddish sunrises and sunsets,” Bell explains.
The UK is simply catching a partial lunar eclipse, as a result of the moon will solely be seen whereas the solar, Earth and moon are nearly aligned, moderately than absolutely.
How usually is there a lunar eclipse – and when is the following one?
Due to the best way the moon orbits the Earth, and since the Earth orbits the solar, there are all the time between two and 5 a 12 months seen from someplace on our planet, in response to the Observatory.
This would possibly make you surprise why there aren’t lunar eclipses each month because the moon orbits Earth.
It is as a result of the moon’s path is tilted in comparison with Earth’s orbit across the solar, transferring up and down because it goes. This implies it does not all the time get in Earth’s shadow.
There shall be a chance to see a complete lunar eclipse within the UK on 7 September – although the view is predicted to be difficult attributable to how low the moon shall be on the horizon. There shall be extra info on that nearer the time.
Within the meantime, we hope you get a superb view on 14 March.
