Missed the once-in-a-lifetime eclipse? Caught in traffic for too long on the Five Mile Road?
Here’s a positive… a 90% partial lunar eclipse will be visible from the UK on 28 August, just about two weeks after the lunar eclipse on 12 August.
The only drawback, however, is that this partial lunar eclipse will begin during early and rather antisocial hours of the morning… from 3:33am BST on Friday 28 August.
How the eclipse will unfold…
The moon will move closer into Earth’s shadow until the peak of the eclipse at 5.12am, when approximately 90% of the Moon will be in Earth’s umbra, the darkest part of its shadow.
It is advised that those keen to see the partial eclipse go somewhere with a clear view of the western horizon.
The moon will appear with a red hue during the maximum of the eclipse due to it being illuminated by sunlight which has passed through the earth’s atmosphere and been refracted towards the moon, hence often being referred to as ‘blood moons’.
Due to the antisocial hours, it is unlikely that the west coast will end up as gridlocked as it did for Wednesday’s eclipse…
The Jersey Astronomy Club advised: “This one isn’t a total lunar eclipse but 90% of the moon will be in shadow, so the dimming and colour should still be visible.”
“If we get clear skies, you’ll see the shadow appear at about 3.30am and reach maximum extent at about 5.12, by which time the moon will be low in the west. No special equipment needed for this one fortunately, though a pair of binoculars might show the colour well.”
