Tonight a partial lunar eclipse will be visible over the UK and Europe, offering the chance to see Earth’s shadow clip the southern portion of the Moon.
This is a small partial lunar eclipse, so just a narrow portion of the Moon will be darkened by Earth’s shadow.
You can see the southern part of the Moon eclipsed between 20:35-21:53 BST (19:35-20:53 UT).
And if you do see the partial lunar eclipse tonight, scan below and to the left of the Moon and you’ll see Jupiter shining brightly too!
The 28 October partial lunar eclipse will also be visible over much of Africa, the Middle East and Asia, but will only be visible in the eastern Americas during Moonrise, and in western Australia during Moonset.
Get the full story in our guides to the 28 October partial lunar eclipse and the 28 October partial lunar eclipse timings.
See the lunar eclipse with kids
Because such a small portion of the Moon will be affected, observing the lunar eclipse tonight might be quite tricky.
A good way of experiencing it with kids is making a sketch of the Moon, perhaps at 20:00 BST (19:00 UT), then at 21:14 BST (20:14 UT), the point of greatest eclipse.
You can compare the drawings to show how the eclipse changed the appearance of the Moon.
You could do the same with a DSLR camera, recording multiple shots of the lunar eclipse tonight.
Compare them to see if you can notice the partial darkening of the Moon’s surface.
Read our guide to stargazing with kids and how to draw the Moon for more tips.
Find out when the next eclipse is taking place
Lunar eclipses explained
A lunar eclipse happens when Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon.
This blocks sunlight on its way to the surface of the Moon, causing a darkening.
Any light that does sneak past Earth is refracted by our planet’s atmosphere.
Red light passes through the atmosphere more easily, leading to the rusty red colour seen during a total lunar eclipse.
As the Sun’s rays intercept Earth, it causes two different zones of shadow to form:
- Penumbra, where some of the Sun is always seen
- Umbra, where the Sun is completely hidden by Earth
During a total lunar eclipse the whole Moon appears red, but during a partial eclipse only a section will appear darkened and red.
The lunar eclipse tonight will be a small partial eclipse, meaning you’ll only see a portion of the Moon affected.
Video: How to see a lunar eclipse
If you do manage to observe photograph or sketch this lunar eclipse, be sure to send us your images.
