Sky-gazers are in for a treat this month as a rare celestial occurrence will dominate our skies.
This month we will experience the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century.
In fact, it’s probably the longest event of its kind until 2123.
The phenomenon will last for a whopping 1 hour and 43 minutes.
However, from start to finish the entire celestial event will last nearly four hours.
The Blood moon will occur on July 27, settling the sky alight with a dark red colour.
Luckily for Brits, the whole spectacle will be viewable from anywhere in the UK.
Look up to the sky at 9.21pm in Britain to see the phenomenon at its maximum.
Sadly, for those in North America, they will have to rely on webcasts to see the Blood Moon.
What is a Blood Moon?
A Blood Moon is the common name for a lunar eclipse.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth and moon line up.
This causes the Earth’s shadow to block the sun.
“The moon will lose its brightest and take an eerie, fainter-than-normal glow from the scant sunlight that makes its way through Earth’s atmosphere”NASA
When this happens, it causes a red glow to appear over the moon, hence the name.
NASA explained: “The moon will lose its brightest and take an eerie, fainter-than-normal glow from the scant sunlight that makes its way through Earth’s atmosphere.
“Often cast in a reddish hue because of the way the atmosphere bend the light, totally eclipsed moons are sometimes called ‘blood moons’.”
Why is it the longest Blood moon of the century?
The total lunar eclipse will last for so long because the moon will be at the furthest possible point from the Earth.
This means it will take longer to pass through the Earth’s shadow than usual.
NASA lunar scientist Noah Petro explained to Space.com: “What controls the duration of the lunar eclipse is the position of the moon as it passes through the Earth’s shadow.”
This, Petro added, it called the Earth’s umbra, and it extends from the planet in the opposite direction to the sun.
He continued: “The moon can either gaze through the cone, or go right through the middle.
“That gets a longer-duration eclipse. This time, the moon is passing closer to the center of that cone, and it’s therefore a little bit longer than the eclipse we had back in January.”