A rare total lunar eclipse “blood moon” will be visible from the UK on Sunday night for the first time since 2022.
The moon is expected to turn a deep, dark red as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, casting its shadow across the lunar surface.
According to the Met Office, the moon will take on a reddish hue because it will be illuminated by light that has passed through the Earth’s atmosphere and has been bent back towards the moon by refraction, scattering blue light and allowing red wavelengths to reach the moon.
Where skies are clear, the eclipse will be visible at about 7.30pm on Sunday. The Met Office recommends people keen to see the phenomenon plan to be somewhere with as clear a view of the eastern horizon as possible, ready for the lunar eclipse to peak in the UK at 7.33pm. In built-up areas this may mean going to a hill or viewpoint.
The eclipse – sometimes referred to as a “blood moon” – will be visible to the naked eye and unlike solar eclipses is safe to view directly as the moon’s reflected light is not as bright.
Dr Ed Bloomer, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, said the moon will rise over the UK just in time for people to see the tail end of the eclipse. He said: “The moon is pretty unmistakable in the sky, so the most important thing is to face the right direction.
“It’ll be rising towards the east, and head southwards over the course of the night. As it rises, the most important thing will be whatever is low on your horizon. A flat landscape, or an elevated position makes for the best visibility – so there aren’t things like buildings, trees, or other things in the way.
“A lunar eclipse like this is a great opportunity for observing with kids too. It isn’t too late for us in the UK, the target is nice and easy, and minute by minute you will notice changes – good for short attention spans.”
People eager to see the eclipse are advised to check the forecast in their area over the weekend, but the Met Office said the clearest skies for viewing the blood moon are most likely to be across the south-west and parts of eastern England.
The Royal Observatory said the next partial lunar eclipse will be in August 2026. Other regions well positioned to view the eclipse include Australia, China, India, the Philippines and parts of Africa.
But most of North and South America will miss out entirely as they will be on the sunlit side of the planet during the event.
Throughout history, blood moons have stirred awe and superstition. Ancient cultures from Norse to South American, Native American to Chinese, interpreted the red moon as a sign of divine anger or supernatural conflict, while biblical texts warned that “the sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the day of the Lord comes, that great and terrible day”.