UK Edition
Stunning moon turns blood red during partial lunar eclipse across Europe
Stargazers were treated to a spectacular celestial display overnight when the moon turned blood red during a partial lunar eclipse.
The partial lunar eclipse was visible in many European countries including Spain, Greece, Poland and Germany.
Spectacular images of the partial eclipse were also captured in Bethlehem, Turkey and Egypt.
What causes a partial lunar eclipse?
The website Time and Date explains: “A partial lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth moves between the Sun and Moon but the 3 celestial bodies do not form a perfectly straight line in space.
“When that happens, a small part of the Moon's surface is covered by the darkest, central part of the Earth's shadow, called the umbra.
“The rest of the Moon is covered by the outer part of the Earth's shadow called the penumbra.”
For a partial lunar eclipse to occur, two celestial events must happen at the same time:
- The Moon should be a full Moon.
- The Sun, Earth and Moon must be aligned in almost a straight line.
The partial lunar eclipse comes ahead of the full solar eclipse which will be visible in North America for the first time in 99 years on August 21 - it has been dubbed the Great American Eclipse.
Everyone in North America, parts of South America, Africa and Europe will see at least a partial solar eclipse.
In the UK, stargazers will only see a partial solar eclipse which will be visible in parts of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland from around 19:35 on August 21.
