There will be a partial lunar eclipse visible over London tonight (Tuesday, September 17) meaning the moon will appear blood red in colour. Lunar eclipses of any kind are a pretty rare event and are only visible from the UK roughly once every six or seven months. It will be visible tonight between 1.
41am (on September 18) and 5.47am with the maximum of the eclipse being at 3.44am, Royal Greenwich Museums (RGM) said.
Look to the south-west and the west and relatively low on the horizon during these times for the beautiful sight. It's a little late but for keen stargazers it's not something you'll want to miss as the moon turns the striking colour above the city skyline. Even with London's light pollution, the moon is the best thing you can see in the night sky so and you'll be able to clearly tell the difference.
READ MORE: London's cheapest postcodes to buy home shown on interactive map - 'transport desert' in first place What is a lunar eclipse? A lunar eclipse happens when the Moon is lined up directly behind the Earth in relation to the Sun. When all three line up, the moon passes through the darkest part of the Earth's shadow - the umbra - and turns a blood red colour. This happens because Earth's atmosphere refracts light from the sun, leaving only red light to fall onto the moon making it the striking colour for a few hours as its passes through the shadow.
There are three different types of lunar eclipses to know about, with the one tonight a partially lunar eclipse fo.