Look up tonight! Rare Hunter's Moon Lunar Eclipse will appear this evening - how and when to see it from the UK

First it was nan sun putting connected a show pinch a dazzling 'ring of fire' star eclipse earlier this month.

Now it's nan moon's turn.

That's because eclipses of nan sun and satellite usually travel successful pairs, meaning tonight's Full 'Hunter's Moon' will walk into nan protector of nan Earth and trigger a partial lunar eclipse that will beryllium visible crossed nan UK and Europe.

The spectacle will statesman astatine 20:35 BST and extremity astatine 21:52 BST.

So really tin you drawback nan champion view? MailOnline takes a look.

Where tin I spot nan partial lunar eclipse from?

Skywatchers successful a big of European countries including Britain will person nan champion chance to spot nan astronomical event.

A partial lunar eclipse happens erstwhile nan satellite passes done nan outer region of nan Earth's protector (its penumbra), and only a conception of it crosses nan umbra (the darkest portion of nan Earth's shadow). 

From nan UK, we'll only spot a mini fraction of nan afloat satellite walk into nan umbra.

At nan eclipse's maximum, which will hap astatine 21:15 BST, conscionable 12 per cent of nan satellite will beryllium successful Earth's protector and 6 per cent successful nan umbra. 

As good arsenic those successful Europe, stargazers crossed Africa, Asia and occidental Australia will besides person a bully position of nan uncommon sight, while a fewer US states whitethorn beryllium capable drawback a glimpse of nan extremity of it erstwhile our earthy outer climbs supra nan horizon.

The logic for this fleeting opportunity is because nan eclipse will return spot during daytime.

Ironically, those successful nan US, Mexico and parts of South America were nan ones who sewage nan champion position of the 'ring of fire' star eclipse, but that will now flip information because it is nan eastbound hemisphere that'll beryllium facing nan satellite erstwhile this lunar eclipse occurs.

How tin I drawback nan champion glimpse?

The partial lunar eclipse tin beryllium seen pinch nan naked eye, truthful there's nary request for binoculars aliases a telescope.

However, nan only problem skywatchers mightiness brushwood is nan weather.

Most of nan UK is expected to beryllium blanketed by unreality this evening, barroom a fewer pockets successful cardinal parts of England and nan South West.

If location is simply a break successful nan cloud, members of nan nationalist should find a spot distant from streetlamps and different sources of ray pollution to get nan champion view.

The satellite will officially beryllium afloat astatine 20:35 BST (15:35 ET) today. The eclipse will statesman from this constituent and extremity conscionable nether 1 hr and 20 minutes later astatine 21:52 BST (16:52 ET).

What is simply a lunar eclipse? 

An eclipse occurs immoderate clip a satellite aliases satellite passes betwixt different planet, satellite aliases nan sun.

Depending connected their orbits, they tin beryllium full aliases partial.

A lunar eclipse is simply a circumstantial arena which happens erstwhile Earth lines up straight betwixt nan sun and nan moon.

When this happens, Earth blocks nan ray from nan sun to nan moon. Earth's protector past falls connected nan moon.

During a lunar eclipse, we tin spot Earth's protector connected nan moon.

They tin past for respective hours, but it is uncommon for a play of full eclipse to past longer than 100 minutes.

At slightest 2 lunar eclipses hap each year.

Why is it called nan Hunter's Moon? 

October's afloat satellite has been called nan Hunter's Moon successful nan Northern Hemisphere since nan 18th century.

This is because it is particularly agleam and agelong successful nan sky, giving hunters nan opportunity to stalk prey astatine night. 

When was nan past lunar eclipse successful nan UK?

There was a full lunar eclipse visible from Britain past year.

The astronomical event, which took spot connected May 16, 2022, could besides beryllium seen complete South America, astir of North America and parts of Europe and Africa.

The full satellite turned reddish erstwhile nan lunar eclipse reached totality.

The eclipse arsenic a full lasted for much than 5 hours but observers successful Britain could only spot it from 02:32 BST – 05:10 BST.

There was besides a partial lunar eclipse successful November 2021.

This was unusually long, lasting much than six hours from nan infinitesimal nan satellite entered nan Earth's shadow.

The early portion of nan partial eclipse was visible from nan UK but by nan clip it had reached its maximum nan satellite had already set.

Generally speaking, a lunar eclipse happens betwixt 2 to 5 times a year, pinch a full lunar eclipse occurring astatine slightest 2 each 3 years. 

The adjacent full lunar eclipse won't beryllium until March 14, 2025.

Why does a lunar eclipse travel a star eclipse?

When a star eclipse occurs connected 1 broadside of nan satellite – arsenic it did for nan occidental hemisphere connected October 14 – it tends to beryllium followed by a lunar eclipse 2 weeks later (or sometimes precedes it).

While star eclipses tin only hap during a caller moon, a lunar eclipse will only return spot astatine afloat moon.

That is why it is happening tonight, erstwhile nan Hunter's Moon becomes full.

North America and South America had nan champion position of nan star eclipse, but this clip it will beryllium nan eastbound hemisphere who gets to bask nan lunar eclipse.