UK stargazers wake up to rare ‘blood moon’ partial lunar eclipse
The moon started to turn red at around 5.30am on Friday and was visible just before 6.30am.
Early risers were able to witness a partial lunar eclipse – or “blood moon” – before dawn on Friday.
A “blood moon” is created when the moon moves into Earth’s shadow, gradually darkening before turning red.
In a partial lunar eclipse, the sun, Earth and moon are almost, rather than fully, aligned. This means a dark section appears on the moon.
“I didn’t actually expect to see anything,” the 31-year-old gardener told the PA news agency.
“I just happened to wake up early, and knowing it was taking place, I looked out and saw it.
“I grabbed my binoculars and headed to a field near my home to watch the eclipse develop.
“It was lovely and clear until just before the moon set, a low haze obscured the moonset.”
“As sunlight enters the atmosphere, different wavelengths (and therefore colours) of light will be scattered and bounced around by differing amounts. Blue light scatters a great deal, which is why our skies are blue.
“Red light is mostly unaffected by the gases of the atmosphere, so it travels all the way through them and out the other side where it can shine on the moon, making it appear red.”
The last total lunar eclipse was in May 2022 when the moon turned completely red.
