ASTRONOMERS will be on the look out for a spectacle in the skies on Monday morning as a total lunar eclipse takes place.

Commonly known as a blood moon, the celestial event will see the moon temporarily change to a reddish colour which should be visible across York and North Yorkshire - as long as there is not too much cloud.

The moon will be partially eclipsed between 3.33am and 6.50am, and from 4.41am until 5.43am is when the supermoon lunar eclipse - called the wolf moon - is set to take place on January 21. Anyone who gets up before 7am stands a fighting chance of seeing at least part of the eclipse.

The University of York expert Dr Emily Brunsden hosts the astronomy podcast Syzygy.

Dr Brunsden, who is director of the university's Astrocampus, said: “In the early hours of Monday morning the full moon will be quietly changing. It will slowly be eaten away by shadow, turn a rusty blood red, then calmly grow back to its former self.

“Known as a blood moon, this is a total lunar eclipse. The moon moves into the shadow of the earth, which means we see the surface shrink away. At maximum eclipse the only light that reaches the surface is that which passes through our atmosphere. Our atmosphere scatters blue light making the sky blue so only the red light passes through and lights up the moon, making it appear a rusty red colour.

“The eclipse will officially start at 2.36am but the best viewing will start from 3.33 am when the moon will be high in the south west.

"The dimming will look a bit like the moon is changing phase from full to crescent shaped over the next hour. At 4.41am the full eclipse starts and the moon will start to turn red, reaching a maximum at 5.12am. The redness reduces until 5.43am when the moon starts to leave the shadow and grow from a white crescent back to its full shape, returning to normal at 6.50am.

“As with stargazing the darker the location you are viewing from, the better, but the moon is super bright so even those in cities will be able to see the eclipse occur. Viewing is likely to be easier earlier in the eclipse as from around 5am the moon will be starting to head lower in the western sky. If you have a clear view of the south-west horizon this won't be a problem.

“I really love eclipses. There is something captivating about being able to see the silent motion of the Moon in real time, reminding us of our dynamic Solar System. We usually only get the chance to see one or two per year-special reminders of our place in the Universe.”

It is the last total lunar eclipse visible on earth until May 2021.

CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES FROM OF A SUPER BLUE BLOOD MOON OVER YORK LAST YEAR

ECLIPSE FACTFILE

- What is a blood moon?
A blood moon is the unscientific name for a total lunar eclipse, which is when Earth passes in between the sun and the moon, casting a shadow over the moon as sunlight is blocked.
During this process, some sunlight is filtered through the Earth’s atmosphere, reflecting onto the moon to give a red appearance.
- Why is it called a blood moon?
The term blood moon harkens back to a time when people were superstitious about the influence of a lunar eclipse, but also when people had no knowledge of what was going on.
- Will the blood moon be visible from the UK?
Yes, the blood moon will be visible from the UK, weather permitting. It will start in the south-west at a reasonably high up angle, but will end up going low in the west by the time the moon is really getting into the deepest part of the eclipse.
- Do you need a telescope to photograph the eclipse?
Observers do not need a telescope to see or photograph the eclipse - a standard DSLR camera should be able to capture decent images.
- When was the last blood moon?
The last blood moon took place in July 2018, though clouds largely obscured the event.