UK Skywatchers See Red Blood Moon in Partial Lunar Eclipse

Stargazers across the United Kingdom were treated to a dramatic celestial display in the early hours of Friday, August 28, 2026, as a deep partial lunar eclipse turned the Moon a striking shade of red. The event, often referred to as a Blood Moon, saw the lunar surface pass through Earth's shadow, with approximately 93 percent of the Moon covered by the darkest part of the shadow at its peak.

The eclipse began at 2:23 a.m. when the Moon entered the penumbra, the lighter outer section of Earth's shadow. The more dramatic partial phase commenced at 3:33 a.m. as the Moon moved into the umbra, the central and darkest part of the shadow. The spectacle reached its maximum at 5:12 a.m., creating the conditions for the Moon's distinctive reddish appearance. The partial eclipse continued until approximately 6:51 a.m., though the Moon set before the event concluded in some locations, including London, where it dropped below the horizon at around 6:15 a.m.

The alignment of the Sun, Earth, and Moon allowed the Earth to block direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. Some sunlight filtered through the Earth's atmosphere, which scattered shorter blue wavelengths while allowing longer...