A SPECTACULAR lunar eclipse is set to light up the skies above Spain tonight, with the Moon turning a striking reddish colour as it passes through Earth’s shadow.
The celestial event will be visible across Spain and can be watched safely with the naked eye – although binoculars or a telescope can provide a closer, more striking view.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon, with the latter often taking on beautiful coppery hues as our planet’s shadow is cast across its surface.
Eclipses can be either total, when the Earth’s shadow fully covers the Moon, or partial, when only part of the Moon’s surface is obscured. Tonight’s eclipse will be a partial one.
The show is set to begin at around 4.34am and reach its peak at 6.12am, when around 93% of the Moon’s disc will be covered by the Earth’s shadow.
The Moon is likely to take on a striking reddish hue during the maximum, as sunlight passing through Earth’s atmosphere reaches the lunar surface.
Those in western Spain will get the best view, experts say, while in parts of eastern Spain, the Balearic Islands and Melilla, the Moon will set before the partial eclipse has finished.
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.
Thousands of people gathered on hilltops, coastlines and observation decks to watch the historic event, with Spain enjoying one of the best views in the world.
Next year, another total solar eclipse is set to sweep across southern Spain at around 10.45am on August 2.
Experts have dubbed it ‘the eclipse of the century’ due to its extraordinary duration of more than four minutes, sending excitement levels soaring across the Mediterranean.
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