How to See the Lunar Eclipse in the United Kingdom? Everything You Need to Know.

How to See the Lunar Eclipse in the UK: Everything You Need to Know.

What is an Eclipse?

Why Do Lunar Eclipses Happen?

The Moon moves out of the shadow cast by the Earth when it moves into the same hemisphere as the Sun. At that time, the Earth's and the Moon's positions are such that the Earth's shadow is partially cast on the Moon's face. The light emitted by the Earth's atmosphere scatters off the red part of the light (the sunlight's spectrum) from the full Moon, leaving a reddish or copper colour around the edge.

This process is called refraction, which makes it difficult for observers on the Earth to see the entire dark shadow of the Earth.

When a lunar eclipse occurs, as the moon moves out of the Earth's shadow, the moon appears to turn dark red from the refraction of sunlight, which casts an eerie glow across the face of the moon.

When Are Lunar Eclipses Predicted to Happen in the UK?

Lunar eclipses are most common around every 18 months, however they can only be seen in parts of the world that have favourable weather conditions.

It has been forecasted that there will be a Lunar Eclipse in the UK on Friday, January 31, 2019, but it won't be the total eclipse.

How to See the Lunar Eclipse in the UK: 10 Steps to See the Eclipse

During a Lunar Eclipse, the moon passes through the centre of Earth's shadow, resulting in a beautiful red colour.

The red hue of the eclipse comes from refracted sunlight and it is more vivid and noticeable when viewed against a black background.

As the moon is not very large, it is always possible to see a lunar eclipse from anywhere in the world.

How to See the Lunar Eclipse in the UK

The total lunar eclipse will be visible on the night of Jan. 20 into the early hours of the morning on Jan. 21.

The biggest question many people have is how they can see it — and according to Alan Duffy, associate professor of physics and astronomy at Swinburne University of Technology, the eclipse will be visible for much of the UK.

"If there is no cloud, then I would say that the eclipse will be seen in the northern half of the country," said Duffy.

Here's how to make the most of it?

How to see the eclipse in the UK?

The path of the total eclipse will be in the south-west of England, according to Michelle Nichols, program executive and deputy weather director at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Conclusion

Observers in the U.K. and Europe who are keen to watch this lunar eclipse should not worry about cloudy skies.

U.S. observers in the Northwest and California might see the lunar eclipse directly, but the rest of the U.S. will see a partial eclipse with some sunshine mixed in.

While watching a lunar eclipse, people can expect to see dark shadows from the moon as the Earth blocks its light, with the best viewing time occurring between 10:11pm and 11:43pm GMT on January 31.

When the sun is out, the moon will be bright in the sky. However, once Earth moves in front of the sun, the moon appears to enter Earth's shadow.

This lasts for more than an hour.

However, before this, the moon will be covered in a darkening light as it begins moving into Earth's shadow.