Blood moon rises but clouds spoil party for many
A RARE phenomenon took place last night as the moon turned blood red during a total lunar eclipse.
But sadly the spectacular sight was hidden behind cloudy skies over much of the country.
After Britain endured blistering weather and clear skies all week, the clouds rolled in and blocked the view of the astronomical wonder for sky-gazers.
The best place to see it was in central Scotland and Oxfordshire where the clouds parted allowing people to see the longest lunar eclipse so far this century. At about 8.30pm the earth began to pass between the setting sun and the moon casting its shadow across the surface.
The midpoint of the 17th lunar eclipse of the 21st century was at 9.21pm when the moon was totally eclipsed by the earth and at its darkest.
Bends
The moon slowly moved out of the earth’s shadow at about 10.15pm and returned to its normal colour. It was the smallest full moon of the year so took more time to pass through the earth’s dark shadow and lasted for one hour and 43 minutes.
Dr Gregory Brown, of the Royal Observatory Greenwich, explained how the rising full moon changed from shining silver to deep blood red during the eclipse.
He said: “The moon passes into the shadow of the Earth, blocking the light from the sun. However, instead of turning black as you might expect, the atmosphere of the Earth bends the light of the sun on to the moon causing it to turn a deep red colour.”
Mars was also at its closest point to Earth since 2003 last night and will be over the next few days. The planet is expected to be visible as a bright red star.
The next lunar eclipse will be on January 21, 2019. PRINCE Charles wrote to a disgraced bishop who sexually abused young men to say he would “see off” one of his critics, it emerged yesterday.
The heir supported local bishop Peter Ball, Bishop of Gloucester, after he accepted a caution for gross indecency against trainee monk Neil Todd in 1993. Charles said he wished he could do more to help Ball, letters published by the independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse showed.
Monstrous
Ball had told Charles a single accuser who bore a grudge was behind allegations which led to his having to quit as bishop.
But, with the support of the then Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, he continued to officiate in the Church until 2010.
Charles supported him and even found a home for him and his brother Michael, Bishop of Truro, on his Duchy of Cornwall estate between 1997 and 2011.
In a letter to Ball on March 23, 1997, Charles wrote: “I will see off this horrid man if he tries anything