In what will be the longest partial lunar eclipse for more than half a millennia, a full moon is set to be almost entirely shrouded in earth's shadow.
This week's eclipsing of the 'Beaver' moon comes just six months since the total lunar eclipse of May 26, which wasn't visible in the UK.
A lunar eclipse happens when earth, the moon and the sun are all perfectly aligned, with earth in the middle.
The outcome is the earth's shadow gets cast over the moon as it blocks out the sun's light. The eclipse will be totally safe to view with the naked human eye.
The soon to be eclipsed November 'Beaver' moon is said to get its name from beavers preparing for winter and will be almost entirely shrouded in darkness apart from its most southern tip.
When is the Lunar eclipse?
The eclipse will of course be dependent on the time zone you plan to watch from, however it will generally be visible late on November 18 and on November 19.
It is thought the eclipse will peak at around 9:02am GMT, with the moon first arriving at the lighter edge of earth's shadow at 6:02am.
From there it will move on to reach the darker part of earth's shadow at 7:18am, where it will be easier to see with the naked eye before reaching the middle of the shadow a little under two hours later. It is thought it will exit out of the dark part of the shadow at around 10:47am.
This means for the best shot at seeing anything from the UK, stargazers' best bet is to try and catch the moon entering the eclipse before sunrise on Friday Morning.
According to Space, the partial eclipse phase will last some 3 hours and 28 minutes, while the full eclipse will last around 6 hours and one minute.
It is thought this will be the longest an eclipse has lasted in 580 years.
At it's peak, 97% of the moon's surface will be covered by earth's shadow, when it is expected to turn to a shade of red - giving it the title of 'blood' moon.
On its website, NASA explains that: “The same phenomenon that makes our sky blue and our sunsets red causes the Moon to turn red during a lunar eclipse”.
“Light travels in waves, and different colours of light have different physical properties. Blue light has a shorter wavelength and is scattered more easily by particles in Earth’s atmosphere than red light, which has a longer wavelength.”
Where is the Lunar eclipse visible?
The eclipse is expected to be visible in much of Europe, North America, South America, much of Asia, Australia, north and west Africa as well as the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Arctic.
It is thought excellent visibility will be possible across many of the areas covered, including parts of Europe.
However, due to the imperfect coincidence of the eclipse and sunrise in the UK, how long revellers will get to view it for will depend on where they are in the country.
In London, the deeper part of the shadow is expected over the moon from 7:18am, however sunrise will come two minutes later, so you'll have to be sharp if you want to catch it.
The further north you go the longer the eclipse will be visible, with those living in the north-west due for the best viewing possible in England.
Sadly, nowhere in the UK will be able to see the peak of the eclipse at 9:02am.
