Moon set to turn red in rare partial lunar eclipse

The Moon turning red? What's going on up there?!

A stunning partial lunar eclipse is coming later this week - meaning the Sun, Earth, and Moon will line up in the night sky.

And it may cause the full Moon - nicknamed the Sturgeon Moon - to take on an eerie reddish glow!

Adding to the spectacle, its position in the sky will be low on the horizon, causing a phenomenon known as the Moon illusion - sounds almost magical!

It basically means the Moon will appear bigger and more dramatic than usual.

This all comes just a couple of weeks after the UK experienced its most dramatic partial solar eclipse in nearly 30 years.

Keep reading to find out more about the eclipse and about where or how you can see it...

The eclipse will take place in the early hours of Friday 28 August.

Skywatchers across the UK may get to see it!

The partial eclipse will begin at 03:33 BST in London, when the Moon enters Earth's darkest shadow.

It will reach its maximum at 05:12 BST.

And by this point the Moon will be very low in the sky causing the Moon illusion.

This happens because sunlight passes through Earth's atmosphere.

The atmosphere is filled with gases and particles that act like a filter which scatters blue light (which is why the sky looks blue), but red and orange light pass through more easily.

That reddish light bends around Earth and reaches the Moon, making it glow like copper in the sky.

So because the Moon may turn a deep red colour, people sometimes call it a "Blood Moon".

Clear skies are really important for you to be able to see it.

But will the skies actually be clear?

Well, viewing conditions are expected to vary considerably across the UK during the early hours of Friday morning.

And it is very hard to forecast accurately, but currently, the best viewing conditions are expected across central and eastern parts of England and Wales.