A SPECTACULAR lunar eclipse is set to light up skies across Spain just a fortnight after the country witnessed a historic total solar eclipse.
The celestial event will take place in the early hours of August 28, with the Earth casting its shadow across the lunar surface and gradually turning part of the Moon a striking reddish-orange colour.
It comes just 16 days after Spain was plunged into darkness by a total solar eclipse on August 12 – the first such spectacle visible from mainland Spain in more than a century.
The upcoming event will be visible from across Spain, beginning at around 3.23am and reaching its maximum shortly after 6am.
At its peak, 93% of the Moon’s disc will enter the Earth’s shadow, making this a particularly deep partial lunar eclipse.
By then, the Moon will be sitting low in the western sky, meaning observers will need a clear view towards the horizon to catch the best of the spectacle.
A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth passes between the Sun and Moon, causing the planet’s shadow to fall across the lunar surface.
As the Moon moves through this shadow, it enters different zones. The darkest central part is known as the umbra, where the Earth blocks direct sunlight from reaching the Moon.
As the Earth’s shadow sweeps across its satellite, the eclipsed portion can take on reddish, orange or coppery hues.
This happens because sunlight passing through the Earth’s atmosphere is filtered before reaching the Moon.
Red wavelengths travel through the atmosphere more easily than blue light, bathing the lunar surface in distinctive warm colours.
This effect is why total lunar eclipses are often dubbed ‘blood Moons’.
Unlike a solar eclipse, there is no need for special glasses to watch a lunar eclipse.
It is completely safe to view with the naked eye, though binoculars or a telescope can reveal even more detail as the umbra moves across the Moon.
Western parts of mainland Spain, along with the Canary Islands and Ceuta, will have the best conditions because the Moon will remain above the horizon for longer.
In central and eastern Spain, as well as the Balearic Islands and Melilla, the Moon will set before the eclipse has completely finished.
Anyone hoping to catch it should head somewhere with an unobstructed view towards the western horizon, away from buildings, trees and other obstacles.
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