Friday, 25 September 2015

Lunar Eclipse: Monday, 28-Sep-2015

There is a total eclipse of the Moon on Monday morning 28-Sep-2015.  

The complete eclipse will be visible from the whole of the UK if the skies are clear.  (The MetCheck astronomical weather forecast on Friday, 25-Sep-2015 forecasts clear skies.)  Times of eclipse are:

Event
Time (UTC)
Time (BST)
Penumbral Eclipse begins
28 Sep, 00:11
28 Sep, 01:11
Partial Eclipse begins
28 Sep, 01:07
28 Sep, 02:07
Full Eclipse begins
28 Sep, 02:11
28 Sep, 03:11
Maximum Eclipse
28 Sep, 02:47
28 Sep, 03:47
Full Eclipse ends
28 Sep, 03:23
28 Sep, 04:23
Partial Eclipse ends
28 Sep, 04:27
28 Sep, 05:27
Penumbral Eclipse ends
28 Sep, 05:22
28 Sep, 06:22

This will be an unusual eclipse as it occurs when the moon is at it's closest to the Earth in it's orbit.  Technically this is called the Earth-Moon perigee-syzygy.  Because the moon is closer to the Earth it appears larger than an average full moon.  This will not happen again until 2033.

The full moon nearest the Autumnal Equinox is traditionally known as the Harvest moon and is known for it's brightness.  This year it should be quite memorable:  Since the moon is closer to the Earth it appears larger than an average full moon by about 7% (diameter), 15% (area) and will be totally eclipsed by the Earth.

During a lunar eclipse the moon turns a lovely dark, ruddy colour. The depth of colour depends on how deeply the moon enters the Earth’s shadow. 

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