Lunar eclipse AND blood moon on the way - plus sunny weather for next week

An extremely rare supermoon total lunar eclipse, also known as a blood moon, is set to treat astronomers in the early hours of Monday morning (28 September) when it will be visible over the UK.

The action starts on the night of 27 September, when the moon will be at its closest to Earth, appearing bigger and brighter than usual.

See also: More about the blood moon and total eclipse forecast for September 2015

Later that night, around 3.45am on the morning of 28 September, the moon will be totally covered by the Earth's shadow, casting a reddish-orange glow.

According to forecaster Kirsty McCabe at The Weather Channel, the blood moon and eclipse will last for an hour and 12 minutes.

It's the first time the event will happen in 32 years and won't occur again for another 18 years in 2033.

See also: Solar eclipse tourist mauled by polar bear

Meanwhile, weather forecasters have predicted an Indian summer will follow the rare astronomical event.

Chief forecaster Leon Brown at The Weather Channel says high pressure will bring a "good dry spell and plenty of sunshine" to the UK next week.

He adds there will be chilly nights by the middle of next week and overnight fog will become more widespread across central to northern Britain, but all in all, the weather will be ideal for outdoor activities.

"Just be prepared for some chilly evenings once the sun goes down," Leon says.

The area of high pressure will initially slip to the East but keep the weather fine and sunny and temperatures a little higher by day reaching the high teens to locally 20C.

"Fog will become more widespread by Wednesday morning over northern Britain and a breeze will pick up over southern counties," Mr Brown adds.

"Later next week, the axis of the area of high pressure will shift to the North West. This will then allow north-easterly breezes to develop off the North Sea and also bring a lot more cloud. The second half of the week is expected to be cooler and cloudier, especially over central and eastern Britain."

For current updates, visit weather.aol.co.uk

Related articles

Did Easyjet passengers get the best view of the solar eclipse?

Amazing pics of a Supermoon across the world