Blood moon: What is it? Why do they happen? When is the next one?
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The Moon will turn red this weekend!
Listen up all stargazers! You may want to take a look up at the sky this weekend as two exciting and rare moon events are going to happen at the same time!
A total lunar eclipse is set to take place, which is when the Earth is positioned precisely between the Sun and the Moon so that all three are in a straight line - turning the Moon red, hence the name "blood moon."
Not only that, but this blood moon will be a special one as it's taking place when the Moon will be at its closest orbit to Earth, so it will appear larger than usual - making it what's called a "SUPER blood moon."
The eclipse will last around five hours in total, but the Moon will only appear red for around 75 minutes while it is completely in the Earth's shadow.
What's going to happen?
The total lunar eclipse will turn the moon red as it passes through the earth's shadow
This weekend a blood moon will be visible over parts of Europe, South America, North America and Africa.
The last time this happened in the UK was in January 2019, so blood moons are a bit of a rarity.
You won't need any special equipment to see it, but you might need an alarm clock.
The best time to spot it in the UK will be between 4.29 and 5.35am on 16 May.
What is a blood moon?
This picture shows the Earth blocking the Sun's rays - stopping them from reaching the Moon - causing a lunar eclipse.
"Blood moon" describes the way the Moon looks during a total lunar eclipse.
This happens when the Moon is completely covered by Earth's shadow, because the Earth has moved between the Moon and the Sun - blocking the Sun's light from reaching the Moon.
When this happens the Moon looks a red colour - hence the name "blood moon."
Sometimes there's even a super blood moon like there will be this time round!
This happens when the Moon is closer to Earth than usual and a lunar eclipse happens at the same time!
The last blood moon seen from around the world
This photo of the blood moon in 2019 was captured in Liverpool
Here the blood moon is photographed from Germany
The first time a blood moon was documented was around in January 1137 BC
This photo was taken in Prague, Czech Republic
This photo shows part of the eclipse happening in 2019 and was taken in Brighton in the UK
Will you be looking out for the blood moon this weekend, have you ever seen one before? Let us know in the comments.
- Published7 October 2021
- Published21 January 2019
