Total lunar eclipses are an incredibly rare occurrence and take place only once or twice a year. Eclipses happen when the Moon passes through the centre of Earth’s darkest shadow, momentarily vanishing and reappearing in the dark skies. These so-called Blood Moon eclipses paint the Moon an incredibly deep and almost blood-like shade of orange with scattered sunlight.
The last Blood Moon peaked on the night July 27 and passed over swathes of Central Asia and Europe.
Toward’s the end of the Blood Moon, the eclipse passed over the UK but poor weather completely obscured the spectacle of nature.
And American stargazers were left equally disappointed because the eclipse did not pass over the US at all.
The good news, however, is the next Blood Moon eclipse will pass directly over North America in less than two months.
READ MORE: How often does a Blood Moon occur?
When is the next Blood Moon total lunar eclipse over the US?
The next Blood Moon eclipse will welcome the new year when it peaks on the night of January 21, 2019.
According to NASA, the eclipse will hit the so-called Greatest Eclipse, its midpoint, around 5.12am GMT (UTC).
From start to finish, the Blood Moon will clock in at about three hours and 17 minutes.
The eclipse’s totality in the Earth’s shadow will last about one hour and two minutes.
NASA said: “North Americans, don’t worry. If skies are clear, you can see the next lunar eclipse on January 21, 2019.”
The eclipse will be visible from North America, South America and most of Africa and Europe.
This means astronomy enthusiasts here in the UK, weather permitting, will catch a glimpse of the eclipse.
What is a Blood Moon lunar eclipse?
A Blood Moon is the after effect of a total lunar eclipse when the Earth drowns the Moon out in its shadow.
Once or twice a year the orbital planes on which the Moon and the Earth rotate on, perfectly align for the lunar orb to cross the planet’s shadow, or umbra.
As the Moon disappears into the umbra, sunlight scattered around the edges of the Earth pass through the planet’s dusty atmosphere.
The effect is known as Rayleigh scattering and is responsible for the characteristic red glow of the Blood Moon.
NASA explained: “When the Moon passes into the Earth’s shadow, it turns red.
“This happens for the exact same reason that our sunrises and sunsets here on Earth are brilliant shades of pinks and oranges.
“During a lunar eclipse, the only light reaching the Moon passes through the Earth’s atmosphere.
“The bluer, shorter wavelength light scatters and the longer wavelength red light passes through and makes it to the Moon.”