Lunar eclipse in the UK morning sky

Next Monday morning (21 January), skywatchers across the UK will be able to see a total eclipse of the Moon. This spectacular event is easy to see, and is the last chance for UK observers to see a total lunar eclipse in its entirety until 2029.

 

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes exactly between the Sun and the Moon. The Sun is behind the Earth, and the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow.

 

The Moon first darkens slowly as it moves into the penumbra of the Earth, the lighter part of the terrestrial shadow. When the Moon is completely within the umbra, the darker part of the shadow, it takes on a red hue that varies in colour.

 

Sometimes the eclipsed Moon is a deep red colour, almost disappearing from view, and sometimes it can be quite bright. The colour is due to Rayleigh scattering – where the Sun's blue light is scattered off molecules in the Earth's atmosphere – which also happens at sunsets. The Sun's red light is scattered much less by air, and is bent by the Earth's atmosphere in a process called refraction, travelling all the way through it to light up the Moon's surface.

 

There are different types of lunar eclipse but a total eclipse is the most spectacular and is the only type that causes the Moon to appear red.

 

Lunar eclipses occur several times a year and take place as often as solar eclipses, if all the different types are considered. Whereas you can only see a total solar eclipse if you are in the narrow path of the Moon's shadow, lunar eclipses are visible wherever the Moon is above the horizon at the time, so each one can be seen from a large area of the Earth. For that reason, they are much more common from any given location.

 

Lunar eclipses always happen at a full Moon as this is when it moves behind the Earth and into line with the Earth and Sun. A full Moon happens every month, but most of the time no eclipse takes place. This is because the plane of the Moon's orbit around the Earth is slightly tilted compared to the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun, so the Moon normally passes a little above or below the terrestrial shadow. Eclipses only happen when the Moon, Earth and Sun are lined up in all three dimensions.

 

On 21 January 2019 the Moon will enter the penumbra at 0235 GMT and the umbra at 0333 GMT. The full eclipse (totality) begins at 0440 GMT, with mid-eclipse at 0512 GMT – this is time when the whole Moon will appear red – and it ends at 0543 GMT. The Moon exits the umbra at 0651 GMT and the eclipse comes to an end as it leaves the penumbra at 0749 GMT.

 

This eclipse will also be visible in north-western France, north-western Spain, Portugal, a small part of west Africa, almost the whole of North and South America, the eastern Pacific, and the north-eastern tip of Russia.

 

In the UK the Moon will be above the horizon throughout the eclipse, though from the extreme southeast of England the Sun will have risen as it comes to an end.

 

Lunar eclipses are very easy to witness as no special equipment or safety precautions are required. Solar eclipses are dangerous because observing the Sun directly can damage your eyesight, but the light from a lunar eclipse is much fainter and so is completely safe.

 

To watch the eclipse on 21 January all you have to do is dress warmly and go outside. If you can see the full Moon you will be able to observe the eclipse as it happens. If you want a close up view of the Moon as it turns red, a pair of binoculars or a small telescope is helpful. But because lunar eclipses are easy to watch with the unaided eye, you can just go outside and enjoy the view.

 

 

Media contacts

 

Dr Robert Massey

Royal Astronomical Society

Tel: +44 (0)20 7292 3979

Mob: +44 (0)7802 877 699

press@ras.ac.uk

 

Dr Morgan Hollis

Royal Astronomical Society

Tel: +44 (0)20 7292 3977

Mob: +44 (0)7802 877 700

press@ras.ac.uk

 

 

Useful links

 

A global visibility plot and event timings for the eclipse on 21 January.

 

HM Nautical Almanac Office: Eclipses Online (prediction software for solar and lunar eclipses)

 

 

Notes for editors

 

The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS, www.ras.ac.uk), founded in 1820, encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science. The RAS organizes scientific meetings, publishes international research and review journals, recognizes outstanding achievements by the award of medals and prizes, maintains an extensive library, supports education through grants and outreach activities and represents UK astronomy nationally and internationally. Its more than 4,000 members (Fellows), a third based overseas, include scientific researchers in universities, observatories and laboratories as well as historians of astronomy and others.

 

The RAS accepts papers for its journals based on the principle of peer review, in which fellow experts on the editorial boards accept the paper as worth considering. The Society issues press releases based on a similar principle, but the organisations and scientists concerned have overall responsibility for their content.

 

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Submitted by Pam Rowden on Thu, 17/01/2019 - 09:56