🚨 A TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE / BLOOD MOON TAKES PLACE THIS SUNDAY! 🚨 EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE - 07/09/2025
Get ready for an amazing sight in the sky this Sunday! On the evening of the 7th of September (weather permitting) we will be treated to views of the full Moon. But not only this! On the same evening a very special celestial event will take place - a Total Lunar Eclipse (aka a “Blood Moon”)!
If you can remember the total lunar eclipse that took place back in March this year, this September’s eclipse will be rather like a mirror of the event that occurred in March. Whereas in March the Moon reached totality just as it was setting, this month the Moon will rise during totality and will begin to become uncovered shortly after it has risen.
Where you live will determine how much of the eclipse you can witness and unfortunately just like back in March, this eclipse is not best timed for us in the UK. For those in the UK the eclipse will favour those who live on the East coast, with those further East being able to observe totality for longer than those further West. If you are lucky enough to be in India, China, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, East Africa or the areas around Central Asia you will be able to witness the entire eclipse from start to finish!
Even though totality will not last very long in the UK it will still be an amazing sight and definitely worth heading out for!
If you would like to know more about the total lunar eclipse including what is a lunar eclipse, why they are rare events, when the eclipse will occur, plus tips on how best to view the eclipse, please read on…
WHAT IS A LUNAR ECLIPSE/BLOOD MOON?
A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth stands directly between the Moon and the Sun, which results in the Earth casting its shadow on the Moon.
The Earth casts a faint outer shadow called the Penumbra and a darker central shadow called the Umbra (see attached diagram).
When the Moon enters the Penumbra this is known as a Penumbral lunar eclipse. However as the Penumbral shadow is very faint, it is very hard to discern a change in the Moon during a penumbral eclipse.
A partial lunar eclipse is when the Moon partially enters the Earth’s umbral shadow and the portion of the Moon that is within the Umbra will discernibly appear darker than the rest of it’s surface.
During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon is fully covered by Earth’s umbral shadow, making the Moon appear much darker than usual and giving the Moon a reddish hue. The phenomenon of the Moon appearing red in colour is where the term ‘Blood Moon’ comes from.
WHY DOES A LUNAR ECLIPSE / ‘BLOOD MOON’ LOOK RED?
The Moon appears red during a Lunar eclipse due to an effect caused by the Earth’s atmosphere.
Light travelling near the edge of our planet is refracted (bent) to partly infill the Umbra (some light is bent into the Earth’s shadow).
Earth’s atmosphere scatters blue light (which creates our blue skies in the daytime). This means the light that passes through the atmosphere and infills the umbra, tends to be towards the redder end of the light spectrum. This gives the umbral shadow its red / orange colour.
When the Moon enters the Umbra it is being illuminated by only this refracted red light, causing it to appear red.
Please see the attached diagram which can help you visualise this effect.
WHY ISN’T THERE A LUNAR ECLIPSE EVERY MONTH?
The reason why a Lunar Eclipse doesn’t occur every month is because the Earth and Moon travel along slightly different orbital planes. Because the Moon's orbit around the Earth is inclined by around 5 degrees to Earth’s orbit around the Sun, it will often pass just above, or just below Earth's orbital plane. This means, that for the majority of the time, this small angle is enough to allow the Moon to miss the shadow cast by the Earth. It is only when there is a straight line alignment between the Sun, Earth and Moon that a lunar eclipse occurs.
If the Moon travelled along exactly the same plane as the Earth, it would result in a lunar and solar eclipse every full Moon and new Moon phase of the lunar cycle.
*Please see the attached diagram which helps explain how Lunar eclipses occur.*
WHICH DIRECTION TO LOOK TO SEE THE ECLIPSE
Look towards the East around the time of sunset to spot the Moon rising above the horizon. The Moon will be completely eclipsed at this time and will slowly become uncovered from the Earth’s shadow as it rises higher in the sky.
WHEN WILL THE ECLIPSE OCCUR AND WHAT WILL HAPPEN?
TIMINGS FOR CENTRAL UK:
15:26 UTC / 16:26 BST – Penumbral eclipse begins (the Moon enters the Earth’s faint shadow)
16:26 UTC / 17:26 BST – Partial eclipse begins (the Moon enters the Earth’s umbral shadow and begins to discernibly darken)
17:31 UTC / 18:31 BST – Total eclipse begins (the full surface of the Moon is covered by the Earth’s umbral shadow)
18:12 UTC / 19:12 BST – Maximum eclipse (the Moon is deepest within the Earth’s shadow)
18:53 UTC / 19:53 BST – Total eclipse ends (the Moon begins to leave the umbral shadow)
19:56 UTC / 20:56 BST – Partial eclipse ends (the Moon completely leaves the Umbra and begins to leave the Penumbra)
20:56 UTC / 21:56 BST – Penumbral eclipse ends (the Moon completely leaves the Penumbra)
The timings listed above are for those in central UK, these timings will differ depending on your location but otherwise are a good general guide.
For those of us in central UK, the Moon will rise in the East at roughly 19:45 BST and at this moment the Moon will be totally eclipsed. As the Moon begins to rise above the horizon there will be a short window of time (roughly 8 minutes) before the Moon will begin to leave the umbral shadow. At this moment (19:53 BST) the Moon will have risen by only 1 degree above the horizon. From this moment onwards, it will take 1 hour 3 minutes for the Moon to slowly leave the Umbra, and the partial eclipse will end at 20:56 BST.
Even though totality will be very brief and very hard to observe low on the horizon, this will still be a spectacular event to witness even if you only get to see the moments of partial eclipse as the Moon leaves the Umbra and we recommend heading out to witness this special event if you can.
WHERE WILL BE BEST TO VIEW THE ECLIPSE FROM?
We recommend finding an elevated view point with clear unobstructed views of the Eastern horizon, this will give you the best chance of viewing the eclipse. If you live on the East coast of the UK you will be better placed to view the eclipse as you will be able to see the Eastern horizon more clearly and you will also be able to witness totality of the eclipse for a slightly longer period of time compared to those further West.
If you happen to be in an area of the world roughly between the longitudes of 40 and 135 degrees East, the moon will be much better placed for viewing during the eclipse and you will be able to witness the whole eclipse from start to finish.
OTHER HINTS/TIPS
As the Moon will appear very dark as it is rising it may be a challenge to find the Moon as it peeks above the horizon. Because of this you may wish to use a pair of binoculars or a telescope to help you locate and observe the Moon. Scan the Eastern horizon with your binoculars or telescope at around 19:45 BST and hopefully you will be able to spot the Moon during totality. Using an optical aid will also help you observe the eclipse in more detail.
You could also use an artificial reality astronomy app that shows you the moons location on your smart phone to help you know where to look.
WHAT ELSE IS IN THE NIGHT SKY THROUGHOUT SEPTEMBER?
If you would like to know more about the rest of the celestial treats that can be seen throughout March, please head to our YouTube channel to watch our Night Sky Guide video for September 2025 (link below).
SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES!
We always love hearing about your celestial adventures! If you head out to witness this event or any other sights in the night sky, please feel free to share your stories in the comments below.
GOOD LUCK AND CLEAR SKIES!
Despite the inconvenient timing of totality occurring during moonrise, this event will still be a very special one, and if you can we recommend heading out to try and witness this total lunar eclipse.
If you do head out to enjoy the lunar eclipse or to enjoy the night sky at any point in the near future, we wish you good luck and clear skies!
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