The world is about to be blessed by one of the most remarkable sights in the sky.
A full moon lunar eclipse is about to be visible over the Earth, as our planet, the Moon and the Sun all move into place for a spectacular celestial sight.
And it will arrive on a particularly meaningful date for anyone who looks up at the Moon. It will be 50 years to the day since astronauts blasted off on the Apollo 11 mission, on their way to walk on its surface for the very first time.
The lunar eclipse happens when the Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon. Any light that hits the Moon has to go through the Earth’s atmosphere first, giving it a deep red tinge and making it look much darker than normal.
The lunar eclipse is remarkable partly because it is easily the most accessible of the celestial sights that move across our sky. Unlike other similar events – such as solar eclipses or meteor showers – you don’t need special equipment or to be anywhere particularly dark or clear, since just about everyone can see the Moon.
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A coronal mass ejection as seen by the Chandra Observatory. This is the first time that Chandra has detected this phenomenon from a star other than the Sun
NASA
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A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launches from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida
NASA / Joel Kowsky
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Star clusters Cepheus B (top-right section) and Cepheus C (mid-left) as captured by NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope
NASA/JPL-Caltech
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An unexpected eruption by the Raikoke Volcano on the Kuril Islands as captured from the International Space Station
NASA
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Jupiter as captured by NASA’s Juno spacecraft
NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS
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A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket is seen shortly after launch
NASA / Joel Kowsky
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The Coma Galaxy Cluster as captured by NASA’s Chandra Observatory, a telescope that captures x-ray emissions in space
NASA/CXC/University of Chicago
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Venus (bottom middle) is seen in the distance as the sun rises over earth as seen from the International Space Station
NASA
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Aurora Australis as seen from the International Space Station
NASA
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A galactic storm rages in the Teacup galaxy
NASA
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The galaxy Messier 59 as seen by the Hubble Telescope
NASA / ESA
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A Russian Soyuz MS-11 space capsule carrying astronauts returning from the International Space Station lands in the steppes of south-east Kazakhstan
NASA / Bill Ingalls
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The galaxy NGC 7773 as captured by the Hubble Telescope
NASA / ESA
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Tumultuous clouds in Jupiter’s northern hemisphere
NASA
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Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula as seen from space
NASA
1/15
A coronal mass ejection as seen by the Chandra Observatory. This is the first time that Chandra has detected this phenomenon from a star other than the Sun
NASA
2/15
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launches from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida
NASA / Joel Kowsky
3/15
Star clusters Cepheus B (top-right section) and Cepheus C (mid-left) as captured by NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope
NASA/JPL-Caltech
4/15
An unexpected eruption by the Raikoke Volcano on the Kuril Islands as captured from the International Space Station
NASA
5/15
Jupiter as captured by NASA’s Juno spacecraft
NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS
6/15
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket is seen shortly after launch
NASA / Joel Kowsky
7/15
The Coma Galaxy Cluster as captured by NASA’s Chandra Observatory, a telescope that captures x-ray emissions in space
NASA/CXC/University of Chicago
8/15
Venus (bottom middle) is seen in the distance as the sun rises over earth as seen from the International Space Station
NASA
9/15
Aurora Australis as seen from the International Space Station
NASA
10/15
A galactic storm rages in the Teacup galaxy
NASA
11/15
The galaxy Messier 59 as seen by the Hubble Telescope
NASA / ESA
12/15
A Russian Soyuz MS-11 space capsule carrying astronauts returning from the International Space Station lands in the steppes of south-east Kazakhstan
NASA / Bill Ingalls
13/15
The galaxy NGC 7773 as captured by the Hubble Telescope
NASA / ESA
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Tumultuous clouds in Jupiter’s northern hemisphere
NASA
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Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula as seen from space
NASA
All that is required is to go outside after moonrise and after the eclipse happens, when it becomes visible over the horizon. That will happen as evening approaches, though it will depend partly on where you are.
Unfortunately, not everyone in the world will get to see it. The partial eclipse will only be visible across the UK, much of Asia, all of Africa, the eastern part of South America and the western part of Australia.
Depending where you are, the eclipse will arrive at a different time in the world and will look more or less clear. In the UK for instance it will come around 9pm, but will be earlier the more east and south you are.
