A partial lunar eclipse occurs as Earth's atmosphere refracts sunlight, leaving only red light to fall onto the moon(Image: Jonathan Myers)

Partial eclipse of the moon visible in Derbyshire in early hours of morning - how to see it

The moon is likely to turn a blood red colour

by · Derbyshire Live

A relatively rare partial eclipse of the moon will be visible from Derbyshire in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Although only a small part of the moon's surface will be covered by the Earth's shadow, it is likely to turn the natural satellite a blood-red colour.

Timeanddate.com has stated that the eclipse will be visible between 1.41am and 5.47am on September 18, with the peak of the event at 3.44am. The next expected partial eclipse isn't until March 14 2025 in this area, so this could be your last chance this year to see the amazing spectacle in 2024. But a full eclipse of the moon visible from Derbyshire is due in just under a year's time on September 7.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon aligns directly behind the Earth relative to the Sun. This alignment causes the moon to pass through the darkest part of the Earth's shadow - the umbra - resulting in its blood-red appearance.

This phenomenon occurs as Earth's atmosphere refracts sunlight, leaving only red light to fall onto the moon, giving it its distinctive colour for a few hours as it passes through the shadow.

In contrast, a partial lunar eclipse happens when the moon travels through Earth's penumbra (the outer region of Earth's shadow), with only a portion of it passing through the umbra (the darkest part of Earth's shadow). The moon will be entirely within the penumbral shadow but only slightly within the umbra.

This phenomenon explains why there is a maximum point of the eclipse tonight. Royal Greenwich Museums stated: "The Moon will enter Earth's penumbra at 1.41am BST and leave at 5.47am. The maximum of this eclipse will occur at 3.44am BST, with only 3.5 per cent of the Moon in Earth's umbra at this point."

A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when the moon only passes through the penumbral region of Earth's shadow, as they are not perfectly aligned. These events cause only a slight darkening on the Moon's surface, making them easy to miss since the Moon remains exposed to some direct sunlight.