The upcoming eclipse is a partial one, meaning only parts of the Moon will disappear in the Earth’s shadow. An eclipse occurs when the Moon, the Earth and the Sun perfectly aligned a straight line. The celestial alignment allows the Moon to pass through the Earth’s shadow, vanishing from our night skies. A partial eclipse, however, happens when only parts of the Moon dip into the shadow but the spectacle should be breathtaking nonetheless.
When is the July partial lunar eclipse?
The lunar eclipse will arrive hot on the heels of a total solar eclipse over South America on July 2.
A lunar eclipse usually follows a solar eclipse within a fortnight and next week’s event is no exception.
This means the partial eclipse will peak in the late evening hours of Tuesday, July 16.
July 16 also happens to be the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 rocket launch.
According to NASA’s astronomers, the eclipse will peak around 10.31pm BST (9.31pm UTC).
READ MORE: Why do lunar eclipses not happen every month?
Will the lunar eclipse be visible over the UK next week?
After poor weather and cloudy skies obscured the mesmerising Blood Moon eclipse on January 21, UK-based astronomers are anxious for the partial eclipse.
The good news is the eclipse will be mostly visible over the British Islands.
The eclipse will be best seen next week from most of Africa, the Middle East and parts of Western India.
The eclipse will also be seen from places such as Turkey, Greece, Ukraine and parts of Russia.
READ MORE: How July’s solar eclipse triggered an eclipse of the Moon
Here in the UK, the eclipse will not be visible until after moonrise.
Unfortunately, this means you will miss the initial penumbral and partial eclipsing.
However, once the Moon climbs up into the sky, you will be able to see the eclipse’s peak.
You can then safely watch the eclipse until ends in the wee morning hours of Wednesday, July 17.
READ MORE: NASA’s Apollo lunar landing sites are visible in plain sight on Moon
What time will the eclipse be visible in the UK?
The eclipse will begin below the horizon but the initial penumbral stage is barely discernible from a regular Moon.
When viewed from London, penumbral eclipsing will start at 7.43pm BST (6.43pm UTC), followed by partial eclipsing at 9.01pm BST (8.01pm UTC).
The Moon will rise soon after, around 9.06pm BST (8.06pm) and maximum eclipse will peak at 10.31pm BST (9.31 UTC).
After that, the partial eclipse will end around 12.59am BST (11.59pm UTC).