Eerie rare ‘blood moon’ will be visible this week but you’ll have to set an alarm
Rhiannon Ingle
Featured Image Credit: YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
There's a fair bit going on cosmically this week as the rare 'blood moon' will be gracing our skies - but you may need to set an alarm if you want to catch it.
The first full moon of the month will be visible in just a matter of days - an event which also doubles as a total lunar eclipse.
So, before we get into all the ins and outs about when, where and how to see it, let's get into what the 'blood moon' actually is and why it's called that in the first place.
A blood moon is a full lunar eclipse which is when the Earth passes between the moon and the sun.
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During a total lunar eclipse, the moon usually turns a 'deep, dark red' as its illuminated by light that has passed through the Earth's atmosphere and has been 'bent back towards the moon' by refraction, Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG) explains.
Now, the cosmic phenomenon only happens a handful of times a year with this Friday (14 March) being your next chance to spot one in the UK.
Now, from the UK, we'll only get to a see a partial lunar eclipse - meaning only a fraction of the moon will actually appear red, hence the name.
For anyone keen to get a proper good look, you'll have to get out of bed super early as it'll first start to be seen at 3.57am.
A little over an hour later at 5.09am, the blood moon will become particularly noticeable, before the maximum of the eclipse at 6.19am in London.
"The full lunar eclipse will be at 6.58am UK time. But that will only be visible to people in North and South America, because in the UK the moon will already have set below the horizon," the official RMG website states.
OK, so you've set the date, set your alarm and woken up in time to catch the blood moon - but how can you actually view it?
Well, weather permitting, the phenomenon will be clear with the naked eye so no need for any spenny tech equipment!
Imo Bell, astronomy education assistant at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, explains: "Wales, Northern Ireland, Cornwall and western parts of Scotland will be favourable because you want to delay the moon sinking below the horizon for as long as possible, so the more west, the better."
"Getting to a high point with a clear western view will allow you to see more of this eclipse," the official RMG website adds.