TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE TO EXHIBIT "BLOOD MOON" THIS SUNDAY EVENING

Ryan Milligan, an astrophysicist at Northern Ireland's Queen's University Belfast, has travelled the world to witness 12 total solar eclipses, known as totalities. This weekend, Milligan, who is also a self-described "solar eclipse chaser", is turning his gaze towards the Moon.

On Sunday night, a total lunar eclipse will be visible across Asia, swathes of Europe, Africa, and western Australia. Stargazers in Europe and Africa will see a partial eclipse during the early evening, while those in Asia will witness the full event. Unfortunately, the Americas will miss out on this celestial spectacle.

The Moon's red colour during a lunar eclipse has astounded humans for millennia. This phenomenon occurs due to sunlight reflected and scattered through the Earth's atmosphere. Blue wavelengths of light are more easily dispersed, leaving only the red and orange hues to illuminate the Moon's surface.

Milligan considers Sunday's lunar eclipse a prelude to the "big one" next year - a total solar eclipse. On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse will be visible in a narrow path crossing parts of Europe, especially in Spain within a band approximately 160 km wide between Madrid and Barcelona. Cities such as Santander in Spain will experience totality, with other regions in Europe seeing a partial eclipse with significant obscuration but not totality.

Interestingly, this will be the first total solar eclipse in mainland Europe since 2006. Neither Madrid nor Barcelona will see the full total solar eclipse, but parts of Iceland will witness the total eclipse.

The total lunar eclipse will last from 1730 GMT to 1852 GMT. The last total solar eclipse was in March this year, while the one before that was in 2022.

Milligan explained the cause of the Moon's red colour during a lunar eclipse, stating that it is due to sunlight reflected and scattered through the Earth's atmosphere. He encourages everyone to take a moment to gaze at the Moon this Sunday and prepare for the spectacle of the total solar eclipse in 2026.