Rare 'blood moon' lunar eclipse is coming to the UK - here's how to see it
15 February 2025, 17:05 | Updated: 15 February 2025, 20:23
Two lunar eclipses are coming to the UK's skies this year, including a 'blood moon', with the first one in only a month's time.
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The full moon will align with the sun and the Earth, in a phenomenon known as the 'blood moon'.
The positioning of the sun, Earth and moon creates a cosmic light effect, as the sun's light passes through the Earth onto the moon.
This means the moon will appear to have a deep red light.
The 'blood moon' and 'partial lunar eclipse' will be visible on Friday 14th March at 3:57am.
The maximum of the eclipse will be visage at 6:19am in London.
A 'partial lunar eclipse' happens when the moon passes through the outer region of the Earth's shadow, the 'penumbra', but only a section of it passes through the darkest part of the earth shadow, the 'umbra' - according to Royal Museums Greenwich.
This means that a small part of the moon will be covered by the umbra - creating an eclipse.
On Sunday 7th September, there will be a total lunar eclipse.
The moon will rise above the horizon at 7:33pm and have a deep red colour.
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Tom Kerss, an astronomer, from Royal Museums Greenwich, offered some tips for watching and photographing the lunar eclipse.
Tip 1 - Use the right equipment
Kerr assures that you don't need a telescope to take a good pouter of the Moon, but it's a good idea to use a camera with a long lens.
You'll need to zoom in on the moon, so you may need a tripod to keep your image steady.
Tip 2 - Know your horizon
The astronomer says that, in this instance, the moon will look its best when it's lower down on the Western horizon.
Therefore, try and get to higher ground, or include possible buildings in your picture.
Tip 3 - Take it to the next level
Kerr says it might be a good idea to take an image with a high amount of colour, to see the layers of the Earth's atmosphere on the horizon.
He suggests trying 'high dynamic range photograph' that can capture not only the Moon, but the stars as well.
The last lunar eclipse, in the UK, was nearly two years ago.
In October 2023, a partial lunar eclipse graced our skies in Europe, Asia, Africa and Western Australia.
The last total lunar eclipse was in May 2022, where people in the UK could see the entire moon turn red, and it lasted for more than five hours.
