Stargazers across the UK will witness a partial lunar eclipse on Friday, 28 August, as more than 90 per cent of the moon enters Earth shadow.
The celestial phenomenon will turn much of the lunar surface a striking copper red colour, creating what is known as a blood moon.
The astronomical spectacle begins at 2:23am UK time when the moon enters the outer penumbral shadow of Earth. The main partial eclipse starts at 3:33am as the moon moves into the central umbral shadow, reaching its peak alignment at 5:12am when only a thin sliver of light remains brightly illuminated. The visible event will end at 6:15am when the moon sets below the horizon.
Best viewing times and locations
The eclipse will be visible across the entire United Kingdom, provided local weather conditions allow clear skies. Observers will see the moon sitting low in the western to south-western sky as dawn approaches.
Dr Shyam Balaji, a researcher in astroparticle physics and cosmology at King's College London, noted that viewing conditions will depend on timing. King's College London is a major public research university located in central London with a prominent physics department.
"During a partial lunar eclipse, the Earth passes between the moon and the sun," Dr Balaji said. "The Earth casts a shadow on the moon, which is called the umbra. Instead of fully obscuring the moon, it just takes a bite out of it. This partial lunar eclipse will be visible from the UK, the rest of Europe, the Americas, and Africa. The best time to view this lunar eclipse in the UK is between 4am and 5am on Friday 28th August."
Astronomers recommend finding a high location away from light pollution. Royal Museums Greenwich, the historic organisation in London that encompasses the Royal Observatory, advised observers to seek out wide views of the horizon.
"You'll need to get to a high vantage point with a clear view towards the south-western horizon to see as much of this eclipse as possible," experts from Royal Museums Greenwich said. "As always when it comes to astronomical events, there's no guarantee the skies will be clear enough to see this lunar eclipse. But we'll keep our fingers crossed for no clouds."
Observers are advised to choose a vantage point clear of buildings, trees, and bright city lights. Unlike a solar eclipse, this event is completely safe to watch with the naked eye without protective glasses. Neither telescopes nor binoculars are required to view the event, although using optics can enhance surface detail.
Scientific causes of the red hue
The distinctive red colour of the blood moon is caused by sunlight passing through the atmosphere of Earth before reaching the lunar disk. Shorter blue wavelengths of light scatter away, leaving predominantly red and orange light to illuminate the moon.
This physical mechanism, known as Rayleigh scattering, is the same atmospheric filtering process responsible for vivid red and orange hues seen during sunrises and sunsets on Earth. During an eclipse, atmospheric dust and clouds further influence how deep the copper red shade appears.
Although the moon will not be completely obscured in total shadow, astronomers confirm this event represents the deepest partial lunar eclipse visible anywhere in the world until 31 December 2028.
Lunar eclipses occur when Earth lines up directly between the sun and the moon, blocking sunlight and casting a planetary shadow. Depending on exact orbital geometry, eclipses can be total or partial. Total lunar eclipses rarely last longer than 100 minutes, though the entire multi-stage process can span several hours. At least two lunar eclipses take place somewhere on Earth every calendar year.
Global scope and eclipse season
While solar eclipses can only be viewed from a narrow geographical path across Earth surface, lunar eclipses are visible to everyone on the night side of the planet. Viewers across North and South America, Africa, and continental Europe will share the view alongside UK stargazers.
The event arrives just over a fortnight after the spectacular solar eclipse on 12 August, which covered up to 96 per cent of the Sun in parts of the UK. That earlier event was hailed as the best solar eclipse in a generation, though some Britons later complained of severe eye pain after looking directly at the sun without protective eyewear, with one stating, "I feel like I'm going to go blind."
Astronomers explain that the close timing between the two events is no coincidence. Solar and lunar eclipses regularly occur about two weeks apart during alignment windows known as eclipse seasons, when the orbital nodes of the moon cross the ecliptic plane of Earth.
Simultaneous meteor shower and orbital alignment
Stargazers watching the sky on Friday will also have the opportunity to spot another celestial phenomenon, the Alpha Aurigid meteor shower. The annual meteor display became active on 25 August and is expected to reach its peak activity around 1 September.
Alan Jones, an astronomy expert at 365 Astronomy, explained how meteor streams form as Earth moves through space. 365 Astronomy is a UK-based astronomy equipment retailer and educational resource centre.
"The Alpha Aurigids are a relatively minor meteor shower, but that doesn't make them any less interesting for stargazers," Jones said. "They are created when Earth passes through a stream of debris left behind by a comet. As these tiny particles enter our atmosphere at extremely high speeds, they heat up and burn, creating the bright streaks of light we see as meteors."
In addition to the partial shadow, the moon will be situated slightly closer to Earth in its elliptical orbit than usual. This proximity makes the lunar disk appear larger and brighter, a phenomenon popularly known as a Super Moon.
When combined with the reddish hue, the alignment is referred to by some astronomers as a Super Blood Wolf Moon. Diagrammatic graphics illustrate how Earth, sun, and moon align during these complex orbital events.
