A lunar eclipse combines together the Sun, the Earth and the Moon to visibly darken and redden the Moon. Last night’s eclipse was a partial one, meaning only a fraction of the Moon’s glowing face vanished in the Earth’s shadow. But the astronomical spectacle was a sight to behold regardless and the eclipse was visible over large parts of the globe. Read on below to find out when and where the lunar eclipse appeared on July 16.
What time is the lunar eclipse tonight?
The lunar eclipse underwent a number of stages that clocked in altogether at more than five hours.
These eclipses stages included penumbral eclipsing, partial eclipsing and so-called maximum eclipse.
Maximum eclipse marked the midway point of the event when the Moon was closest to the centre of the Earth’s shadow.
Last night, the lunar eclipse peaked at around 10.30pm BST (9.30pm UTC).
But what about the other eclipse stages? What time were they?
Penumbral eclipsing will kicked off around 7.43pm BST (6.43pm UTC).
Unfortunately, here in the UK, the Moon did not make an appearance over the horizon until after 9.06pm BST (8.06pm UTC).
However, once the Moon rose, it was already eclipsed and darkened.
ITV meteorologist Holly Green tweeted: “The #LunarEclipse eclipse is happening right now and peaking in about 20 minutes!
“Roy Venkatesh has set a pretty impressive standard for awesome lunar eclipse photos…”
Partial eclipsing of the Moon began below the horizon around 9pm BST (8pm UTC).
Then, maximum eclipse peaked near the horizon in the southeast skies,
After that, partial eclipsing receded until it ended around 11.59pm BST (10.59pm UTC).
Penumbral eclipsing – the weakest part of the eclipse – ended at 1.17am BST (12.17am UTC).
According to US space agency NASA, the next lunar eclipse will make an appearance on January 10, 2020.
Unfortunately, the next eclipse will be a penumbral one in the Earth’s weakest shadow, meaning it will likely not be visibly different from a regular Full Moon.
READ MORE: Incredible Full Moon falls on 50th anniversary of NASA’s Apollo 11
Where was the lunar eclipse be visible tonight?
The lunar eclipse passed over most of the world while excluding North America from catching a glimpse.
According to the Royal Observatory Greenwich in London, the eclipse was seen over Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and South America.
Arica, the Middle East and parts of West India were best positioned today to see the eclipse from start to finish.
The Royal Observatory said: “At maximum, we will only see a little over 60 percent of the surface of the Moon through Earth’s full show and appear red.
“The other part of the Moon will still appear silvery grey because sunlight is still reflecting off that part of the Moon.”
