Rare ‘blood moon’ lunar eclipse lights up the sky in red
The Moon turned a deep red on Friday morning, as its light was blocked out by the Earth
A rare “blood moon” has risen over much of the world.
The phenomenon – more scientifically known as a partial lunar eclipse, where the Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon – sees the lunar surface go dark and then turn red.
What light is reaching the Moon has been refracted by the Sun’s atmosphere, which gives it the deep red colour that has lent it its more dramatic name.
Ashley Cooper, from Freshwater in the Isle of Wight, was pleasantly surprised to see the blood moon from a field near his house.
“I didn’t actually expect to see anything,” the 31-year-old gardener told the PA news agency.
“I just happened to wake up early, and knowing it was taking place, I looked out and saw it.
“I grabbed my binoculars and headed to a field near my home to watch the eclipse develop.
“It was lovely and clear until just before the moon set, a low haze obscured the moonset.”
Astronomer Jake Foster, at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said: “When the Earth comes between the sun and the moon, the only sunlight that can reach the moon must first pass through the Earth’s atmosphere.
“As sunlight enters the atmosphere, different wavelengths (and therefore colours) of light will be scattered and bounced around by differing amounts. Blue light scatters a great deal, which is why our skies are blue.
“Red light is mostly unaffected by the gases of the atmosphere, so it travels all the way through them and out the other side where it can shine on the moon, making it appear red.”
The moon started to turn red at around 5.30am and became most visible just before 6.30am.
The last total lunar eclipse was in May 2022 when the moon turned completely red.