The UK’s only total lunar eclipse of the year will take place tonight, giving people the chance to see a blood Moon.
People across the country will get a chance to see the celestial event, which is caused by the Earth coming between the Sun and the Moon.
During the event, the Moon usually turns a deep red due to light from all of Earth’s sunrises and sunsets reflecting onto its surface.
While stargazers will not be able to see every part of the eclipse, they will be able to see it at totality, which is expected to last for around an hour and a half.
The rare site will also be referred to as a super flower blood Moon, with the name given to the first full Moon in May due to it coinciding with spring.
The eclipse will be visible across South America, most of North America, parts of Europe and Africa.
When will you be able to see it?
In the UK, the Moon will start to enter the Earth’s partial shadow just after 2.30am, according to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich.
Around an hour later, it will darken considerably as it enters the planet’s full shadow, making it appear as if it is changing phase to a crescent Moon.
By about 4.30am, it will have completely entered the shadowed area and will start to turn red – this is the beginning of the optimal time frame to see the phenomenon.
People will then have until around 5am to get the best look at the blood Moon.
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The entire eclipse will last for more than five hours, ending before 8am.
However, it will only be visible in the UK between 2.30am and 5.10am as the Moon will have set below the horizon by the end of this period.
Watching from a high vintage point will be crucial across the country as the Moon will be in a very low position in the sky throughout the event.
In some parts of America, people will be able to see the full spectacle.
The last total lunar eclipse took place in January 2019.
It happened during the first full Moon of the year, earning it the nickname “super wolf blood Moon”.
