Blood Moon: Where and how to observe the total lunar eclipse in France this Sunday?

A spectacular total lunar eclipse, known as a "blood moon," will occur on Sunday, September 7. This is the second such phenomenon this year after the one observed in March, and it will not be able to be admired in the same way in all four corners of the globe.

A total lunar eclipse occurs due to the interplay of motion between the planets and moons. The Earth must pass between the Moon and the Sun, casting its shadow on the lunar surface.

"The Moon's tilted orbit prevents us from witnessing a total lunar eclipse every month during the full moon phase. But about three times a year, orbital mechanics combine to perfectly align the Earth, Moon, and Sun," Space.com says.

Those lucky enough to observe it will notice that the moon will take on a red hue as it slips into Earth's shadow. This glow comes from Rayleigh scattering: the blue wavelengths of sunlight are deflected by Earth's atmosphere, allowing the longer red wavelengths to pass through.

This blood moon will begin this Sunday at 3:28 p.m. GMT, or 5:28 p.m. in Paris. The Earth's shadow will completely cover the Moon about two hours later, and the phenomenon will last 82 minutes.

While each phase of the total lunar eclipse will occur at the same time for everyone, everyone will observe this cosmic spectacle from different angles, depending on the position of the Moon above the horizon and their own location.

The entirety of this rare moment can be admired, provided there are few clouds, in the Indian Ocean territories, such as Mauritius, Réunion, the Seychelles, and the Maldives. However, it will only be partially visible from Europe, the Paris Observatory specifies.

To discover what will be visible depending on your location, a platform has been set up. Different observatories will broadcast the spectacle live, like the Virtual Telescope Project . The images will be broadcast from 7:45 p.m.