Look up this weekend, and you might see a blood moon low in the sky.
It will rise on the same day the UK government sends an emergency alert to 87,000,000 phones, but thankfully it won’t be warning us about vampires.
The Blood Moon is unconnected to carnage on the ground (although it has featured in myth and superstition for centuries, so some might disagree).
It refers to when the full moon turns a coppery reddish colour, due to a total lunar eclipse.
This is a fairly uncommon occurrence, and hasn’t happened in the UK in over three years.
So if you don’t make the effort this Sunday, you won’t get another chance until December 31, 2028 – and then its colour might be blocked by NYE fireworks.
What time is the Blood Moon lunar eclipse?
This year’s Blood Moon will be at a very civilised time in the evening, without having to set an alarm for the early hours.
It will be visible as soon as the moon rises, with the maximum from the UK occurring at 7.33pm on Sunday September 7, 2025.
According to Royal Museum’s Greenwhich, the eclipse’s actual maximum at 7.11pm, but at this point the Moon will still be below the horizon so we won’t be able to see it yet.
It will gradually move out of Earth’s umbra (the area of total shadow behind Earth) and penumbra (the edge of the shadow, where only part of the sun is visible) until 9.55pm.
How to see the lunar eclipse?
Normally, it’s not that hard: just look up and find that big, round object in the sky.
But this time, it may be trickier given that the Moon will be low on the horizon.
To make sure you can spot it, find a high point with a clear view to the East.
Can you look at a lunar eclipse?
You can. It’s no different in safety terms from looking at the Moon on any other night, only it will be a bit dimmer.
While you need special glasses to watch a solar eclipse, this weekend you can even take your binoculars.
What is a Blood Moon?
It is when the Earth moves directly between the Sun and the Moon, stopping the Sun’s light from reaching the Moon directly.
Instead, sunlight passes through Earth’s atmosphere, which filters and bends the light.
Dust in the atmosphere blocks out blue light, but red light, which has a longer wavelength, is still able to come through.
This weekend’s full moon is also called the Corn/Harvest Moon, but this refers to the month it appears, and is the name for the first full moon of autumn. It was given by Native Americans, who named the moons based on the seasons.
So it can also be a Blood Moon at the same time, as this refers to the eclipse phenomenon and can occur in any month.
When is the next full moon?
Here are all the full moon dates, times and names in the UK this year, 2025.
- January 13 – Wolf Moon
- February 12 – Snow Moon
- March 14 – Worm Moon
- April 13 – Pink Moon
- May 12 – Flower Moon
- June 11 – Strawberry Moon
- July 10 – Buck Moon
- August 9 – Sturgeon Moon
- September 7 – Corn/Harvest Moon (also a Blood Moon)
- October 7 – Hunter’s Moon
- November 5 – Beaver Moon
- December 4 – Cold Moon
There will be a partial lunar eclipse and Blood Moon, like the one in March this year, visible on August 28, 2026, but the next full lunar eclipse will not be until December 31, 2028.
Meanwhile, the soonest solar eclipse will be in 2027, but you’d have to leave the UK to see it, with Spain the shortest journey you’d need.
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