Seeing Stars: Total eclipse of the Moon

Lunar eclipses occur when the Sun, Earth and Moon are aligned in a straight line, so that the Earth passes between the Sun and Moon and casts a shadow onto the Moon’s surface.

You might wonder why every full moon isn’t a lunar eclipse. This is because the Moon’s orbit is tipped up at an angle of 5° relative to the Earth’s orbit around the Sun. This means that the alignment of the Sun, Earth and Moon at full moon usually isn’t exact.

In a total lunar eclipse, the entire Moon falls within the darkest part of Earth’s shadow and it appears a red-orange colour. Lunar eclipses are often called ‘Blood Moons’ because of this. 

During a lunar eclipse, the Moon appears red or orange because any sunlight that’s not blocked by our planet is filtered through a thick slice of Earth’s atmosphere on its way to the Moon’s surface. It’s like all the world’s sunrises and sunsets are projected onto the face of the Moon.

Eclipses of the Moon are easy to watch with the naked eye. However, a pair of binoculars will give a great view of the Moon’s surface, but are not required. Unlike solar eclipses, such as the one coming up later this month, lunar eclipses are perfectly safe to look at without the need to use any kind of filter.

If you miss this one then don’t despair because a second total lunar eclipse will occur on September 7 2025 in the early evening. However the total phase will take place when the Moon is below the horizon from Kintyre and we will only see the partial phase as the Moon rises. 

Hopefully the weather will cooperate on the morning of March 14 and we will see the stunning ‘Blood Moon’ total eclipse in the west. 

You still have a chance to see several planets above Kintyre on a clear night. Bright, but getting lower in the west, is Venus, high in the south is Jupiter and to its left high in the south-east is the red planet Mars.