How to {photograph} this weekend’s blood Moon whole lunar eclipse

The whole lunar eclipse on 7 September 2025 will likely be seen from the UK because the Moon rises, that means the Moon will already be eclipsed when it emerges above the horizon.

In reality, totality could have ended about quarter-hour after the Moon pops up above the horizon (as seen from the centre of the UK).

That means, if you wish to {photograph} the 7 September lunar eclipse from the UK, you may wish to catch it as near the horizon as attainable.

There are some ways to {photograph} a lunar eclipse and, as you’d anticipate, some strategies work higher than others.

Of course, the wild card would be the climate, which triggered numerous points for a lot of the UK throughout the lunar eclipse in March 2025.

All we will do is hold our fingers crossed and hope for crisp, clear, haze-free skies this time round.

Fortunately, with the ultimate partial section lasting simply over an hour, there’s a good window of alternative to seize one thing worthwhile.

Using a smartphone

A smartphone is completely acceptable for photographing a lunar eclipse, however the Moon’s obvious diameter of round half a level will lead to a small lunar disc.

Yes, you’ll be able to zoom in along with your cellphone, however the most effective outcomes will come from staying inside your cellphone’s optical zoom vary.

Beyond that, you’re into digital zooming territory, which is not any higher than enlarging the picture in post-processing utilizing a picture editor.

The software program will increase the variety of pixels within the picture by interpolating between precise recorded information, filling in gaps with artificial info.

Get extra recommendation with our information on tips on how to {photograph} the Moon with a smartphone.

Camera and lens

A greater guess for photographing a lunar eclipse is to make use of a devoted digicam fitted with a lens of no less than 400mm focal size on a full-frame sensor.

This setup will mean you can seize the Moon as an in depth disc with seen floor options.

Mounting the digicam on a hard and fast platform – or, even higher, a monitoring mount – will enable you obtain wonderful, sharp photos.

The brilliant lunar floor that’s uncovered after totality gained’t sometimes require lengthy exposures and so is unlikely to be topic to trailing.

However, in case you enable the brilliant floor to over-expose, it’s best to be capable of pull out a number of the lovely umbral colors within the darker a part of the shadowed areas.

For this, you’ll want barely longer exposures, which is the place a monitoring mount turns into particularly helpful.

Planetary digicam

Another methodology is to make use of a planetary digicam setup with a large sufficient discipline of view to have the ability to seize your entire Moon in a single body.

Planetary setups sometimes use multi-frame imaging, accumulating quite a few photographs of the identical goal over a brief time frame.

Software equivalent to AutoStakkert! (freeware) can then analyse, quality-assess, register and stack the frames to generate a remaining picture with the next signal-to-noise ratio than the person frames.

The trick right here is to be sure you don’t lengthen the seize session too lengthy, in any other case the motion of Earth’s shadow will blur the sting greater than common.

Find out extra in our information to stacking photos of the Moon.

6 ideas for photographing the September 2025 lunar eclipse

Plan your location

Keep a watch on the climate and, in case you’re ready to place in somewhat further effort, determine some different places that is perhaps clear in case you’re clouded out.

Pick websites with unobstructed views within the required path. From the centre of the UK, the Moon rises at azimuth 100° or simply south (proper) of east.

Practise, practise, practise

Choose your setup(s) and practise with the Moon on evenings forward of the eclipse, particularly in case you intend to relocate on eclipse day.

As a naked minimal, use a DSLR or equal with a 400mm or longer lens.

Take your cellphone for atmospheric photographs too, such because the Belt of Venus into which the Moon will rise.

Prepare your digicam lens

On evenings earlier than the lunar eclipse, focus your lens as precisely as attainable on the Moon.

Then, with the lens set to handbook focus, use a size of low-tack electrical tape to safe the main focus ring so it may’t rotate.

When the Moon rises on 7 September, the present will already be beneath method, so you want to be as prepared as attainable.

Identify the place the Moon will rise

To pinpoint precisely the place the Moon will seem, go to your chosen location on an evening earlier than the eclipse.

Wait for the sky to darken and Saturn to change into seen.

Set your digicam’s clock precisely (ideally utilizing UT), then take a large or mid shot of the horizon the place you anticipate the Moon to rise, exposing to seize stars.

Use a stargazing app

Download your photos and examine their EXIF headers utilizing freeware like FastStone.

With a planetarium app, determine stars close to the horizon and their azimuths by getting into the shot’s date and time. Note the azimuths of seen horizon options.

Using the identical app, verify the place the Moon will rise on 7 September.

Give your self loads of time

On the evening, arrange in good time.

Don’t be stunned if the Moon doesn’t present when anticipated: low haze can simply conceal it. Binoculars will very useful.

Use a low to mid ISO and an aperture round f/8–f/11. Short exposures will seize the brilliant floor, however attempt longer ones to disclose color within the shadowed areas.

If you {photograph} the 7 September 2025 lunar eclipse, share your photos with us by emailing [email protected]