Met Office reveals best places to see rare lunar eclipse in UK overnight – and it’ll coincide with ‘red Northern lights’

STARGAZERS could be in for a treat as a rare partial lunar eclipse may be visible in the UK overnight – but where is the best place to catch the phenomenon? Much of the UK fell into a frenzy when the nation experienced its most dramatic partial solar eclipse in nearly 30 years earlier this month. The UK will experience a deep partial lunar eclipse tomorrow Credit: Getty In the early hours of Friday morning, the UK will experience a partial lunar eclipse – with over 93% of the Moon’s face plunging into the darkest part of Earth’s shadow. This display is also known as a “Blood Moon” and is caused by a total or near-total lunar eclipse. Sign up for the Tech newsletter Thank you! The Moon will begin to enter the Earth’s darkest shadow at around 3.33am on Friday morning. The peak of the eclipse is expected for 5.12 am and it will cause the Moon to glow in dramatic red. The Met Office has warned that the weather conditions for the eclipse tonight might be far from ideal in some locations, however. It said: “At the beginning of the event, cloud is forecast across Cornwall and Devon, Wales, the Midlands, parts of northwest England, and most of Scotland and Northern Ireland. Patchier cloud is expected across northeast England. “The best initial viewing opportunities are therefore likely to be across southern and eastern England. “These areas are expected to remain relatively cloud-free from around 2am, potentially allowing observers to see the opening stages of the eclipse.” Speaking about weather conditions during the eclipse’s peak, it added: “However, cloud is forecast to increase across the south and east as the night progresses. Most read in Tech “Cloud amounts are also expected to build elsewhere across the UK, meaning conditions may become increasingly unfavourable before the eclipse reaches its maximum at 5.12am.” During a lunar eclipse, instead of bright, direct rays, the Moon receives only indirect sunlight filtered through Earth’s atmosphere. This filtering casts a deep crimson or copper glow across the lunar surface, causing the “Blood Moon” effect. Unlike with the previous eclipse, no specialist eyewear is needed to view the blood moon, but some locations are better than others. The primary goal is to find an unobstructed line of sight to the moon, ideally high up, like a local hilltop or park. A west-facing coastline to ensure tall buildings, trees and hills don’t block the view are also encouraged and setting up for the viewing away from light pollution and city street lights will also improve the experience. For high, unobstructed areas in Bristol the Clifton Observatory is the obvious choice but Troopers Hill and Perrett’s Park could be great alternatives. Lansdown Hill in Bath is another notable location worth viewing the phenomenon. In Gloucestershire there are plenty of options, including Robinswood Hill, Crickley Hill Country Park or Leckhampton Hill. In Somerset there is also Glastonbury Tor, Brean Down or the Mendips, and for Wiltshire there is the Westbury White Horse, Hackpen Hill or Salisbury Plain. In addition to the spectacle of the Blood Moon, some viewers, elsewhere in the world, will also be lucky enough to enjoy the rare red northern lights at the same time. Geomagnetic storms cause the phenomenon known as the northern lights, also known as an aurora borealis, and a Moderate G1 and G2 storm is forecast during the eclipse. Astronomer and author Tom Kerss told Live Science: “Though it’s unlikely the moon and aurora would occupy the same part of the sky, observers in Canada and Alaska have the best chance to see them together. “The further west you are, the lower the moon will be in the East during the deepest part of the eclipse, where it may overlap with the brightest region of the auroral oval.” Comment now