The September Blood Moon will be visible to skywatchers in the UK and around the world

This weekend, a magnificent Blood Moon will illuminate the UK skies, offering some fortunate stargazers the chance to witness totality. A lunar eclipse, or Blood Moon as it's commonly known, happens when the Moon, Sun, and Earth align in such a manner that the Moon moves out of the Sun's light and into the Earth's shadow.

The Moon takes on a striking rust-orange-red hue due to the way sunlight refracts through the Earth's atmosphere, hence the term 'Blood Moon' is often used to describe a total lunar eclipse. The 2025 lunar eclipse will be visible to observers worldwide, with over seven billion people across the globe set to experience the event.

Here in the UK, we'll have the opportunity to see most of the spectacle, with certain regions expected to witness up to 29 minutes of totality as the Moon fully enters the Earth's umbra, the darkest part of its shadow, reports the Manchester Evening News.

This marks the second Blood Moon observable from the UK this year, following a partial lunar eclipse just a fortnight prior to a partial solar eclipse in March.

Here's everything you need to know about this week's lunar eclipse, including how and when to observe the breathtaking event.

This weekend's celestial occurrence will be a lunar eclipse of the Corn Moon. Each month's full Moon has a unique moniker - for example, January's full Moon is known as the Wolf Moon, while June's full Moon is referred to as the Strawberry Moon.

The Corn Moon derives its name from the period when crops are harvested towards the end of the summer season. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, this full Moon coincides with the corn harvest in North America, typically occurring in late summer or early autumn.

It's also frequently referred to as the Harvest Moon, given its proximity to the autumnal equinox. Lunar eclipses, such as these, can only transpire during a full Moon, as they require an alignment of the Sun, Earth, and Moon.

UK sky-gazers can anticipate a Blood Moon on 7 September 2025. The celestial event is set to commence just after 7pm and will continue until approximately 10pm, reaching its peak at around 7.33pm BST, as per the Royal Observatory.

This September's total lunar eclipse will be the longest since 2022, with totality visible across Australia, Asia, Africa, and Europe. As per Timeanddate, a tracking website, 86% of the global population resides within the path of the eclipse, where at least some of its totality phase will be observable.

The entirety of the spectacle will be visible across most of Asia, parts of East Africa, and Western Australia. Meanwhile, the rest of Africa, Australia, much of Europe, and the east coast of Brazil will witness at least a portion of the totality.

While the full eclipse won't be visible from start to finish in the UK, many regions will still have the opportunity to observe the final stages as the Moon ascends.

The longest view of totality will be enjoyed by those in the eastern regions of England; Great Yarmouth on the east coast is set to witness nearly 29 minutes.

Western areas - encompassing parts of Wales, Scotland, and all of Northern Ireland - will only be privy to a partial lunar eclipse.

For optimal viewing, the Royal Observatory suggests finding a high vantage point with an unimpeded view of the eastern horizon as the Blood Moon will be situated low in the sky.