Everybody, grab your cosiest blanket and a hot cup of cocoa – tonight the solar system is giving us a display you won’t want to miss.
Over the last month we in the UK have enjoyed spectacular celestial shows from the Perseid meteor shower and rare appearances from the northern lights (even in London). Next up? A supermoon and a partial lunar eclipse wrapped up into one impressive night-sky event.
In a rare occurrence, September’s luminous harvest moon (the second largest ‘supermoon’ of the year) is going to coincide with a partial eclipse. Here’s everything you need to know about catching tonight’s celestial phenomenon.
What is a partial lunar eclipse?
A partial lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth moves between the sun and moon, but not quite in a perfect line. The Earth casts a shadow across a portion of the moon’s surface, making it appear black in our night sky.
Tonight, only 3.5 percent of the moon will go into complete shadow. The rest will darken and appear to change colour.
What time is the partial lunar eclipse in the UK?
The moon will start passing into the Earth’s shadow at 1.41am on the morning of Wednesday September 18. It will reach the full shadow and be in maximum eclipse at 3.44am. The eclipse will then come to an end at 5.47am.
Best spots to catch the lunar eclipse
As with any celestial display, you’ll want somewhere with clear skies with minimal obstruction from trees or buildings. The skies are forecast to be clear across most of the country tonight, and given the brightness of the supermoon, it should even be visible in places with light cloud.
If you’d rather stay inside, you can always watch a livestream of the event on YouTube here.
For a full list of the UK’s best places to watch the lunar eclipse and other starry spectacles, head to this guide.
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