What time is the partial lunar eclipse of the full moon this weekend?

Solar and lunar eclipses always come in pairs. Earlier this month, an annular “ring of fire” solar eclipse appeared in the skies above much of the United States, and now it’s the moon’s turn.

On the night of Saturday 28 October, people across the UK, Europe, Asia and Africa will be treated to a partial eclipse of the moon. In some parts of North America, South America and Australia, only the earliest phase of the eclipse, called the penumbral stage, will be visible.

What time is the 28 October partial lunar eclipse?

The maximum of the eclipse will be at 9:14pm in London, 10:14pm in Berlin, 11:14pm in Moscow, 1:44am in Mumbai and 4:14am in Hong Kong. The penumbral stage begins about 2 hours before and ends about 2 hours after the maximum. You can check the exact timings for your location using free software like Stellarium.

How to watch the partial lunar eclipse

You don’t need any special equipment to see the lunar eclipse. As long as you live somewhere where the eclipse will be visible, and you have clear skies, you will see part of the moon turning red. During the 28 October lunar eclipse, only a small portion of the moon, 12 per cent at the maximum, will turn red. If you have binoculars or a small telescope, these will help.

What is a lunar eclipse?

A lunar eclipse happens when the moon moves into the shadow cast by Earth, blocking the light from the sun. This means a lunar eclipse always happens during a full moon. But lunar eclipses don’t happen every full moon because of the tilt of the moon’s orbit.

There are two parts of Earth’s shadow: the darkest inner part is called the umbra and the outer part is the penumbra.

What causes a partial lunar eclipse?

A partial lunar eclipse happens when the moon does not fully line up with Earth and the sun, meaning only part of the moon moves into Earth’s shadow.

What is a blood moon?

During a lunar eclipse, the moon does not totally disappear from view like the sun does during a solar eclipse. This is because of Earth’s atmosphere. Although the moon is in Earth’s shadow, light is scattered through Earth’s atmosphere and only the longer wavelengths of sunlight – the red end of the spectrum – make it through by bending, or refracting, around Earth. The moon then reflects this back at us, creating a red or orange glow. This is the same reason the sun appears red during sunrise or sunset. Because of the red glow, lunar eclipses are often called blood moons.

Why do eclipses come in pairs?

Eclipses only happen when the moon’s orbit around Earth, which is tilted about 5 degrees compared to Earth’s orbit around the sun, brings it in line with the sun and Earth – something called syzygy. Solar eclipses happen at a new moon and lunar eclipses happen at a full moon, so pairs of eclipses tend to be two weeks apart.

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