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Total lunar eclipse 2019 in Kent

07:38, 21 January 2019

updated: 11:48, 27 September 2019

Hundreds of Kent residents woke up early this morning to admire what is known as a super blood wolf moon.

A lunar eclipse could be seen in its full glory across the county, leaving astronomers envious across much of the UK where the sky was covered by cloud.

Amateur and professional snappers across Kent seized the opportunity to get a photo of the moon, which turned an orangey red, known as a blood moon.

Debbie Dunlop snaps the blood moon in Tonbridge from her bedroom window
Debbie Dunlop snaps the blood moon in Tonbridge from her bedroom window

An eclipse of the Moon happens when Earth lies directly between the sun and the moon, where the Moon lies in the shadow of Earth, with all three in a straight line for a total eclipse.

Experts said optimal viewing for stargazers would be between 4.41am and 5.43am.

This is the period of totality, because it is when the moon passes through the darkest part of the Earth’s shadow called the umbra.

During the event, the moon will usually turn a deep red where is is illuminated by light passing through the Earth's atmosphere and refracted back towards the moon.

Dean Burden snapped this picture of the eclipse over Eastwell in Ashford at 4am today (6626902)
Dean Burden snapped this picture of the eclipse over Eastwell in Ashford at 4am today (6626902)
Fraser Gray took this picture of the blood moon from the Queen’s perspective in St Andrews Park, Gravesend, at around 4am
Fraser Gray took this picture of the blood moon from the Queen’s perspective in St Andrews Park, Gravesend, at around 4am
Hawkeye Aerial Media shows the phenomenon at the back of Brands Hatch
Hawkeye Aerial Media shows the phenomenon at the back of Brands Hatch

Jason Arthur, an amateur photographer, took pictures from his garden in Gravesend from 4am.

He said: "It was very cold. The temperature was -3C last night but it was worth it.

"You don't see that very often.

"The clouds parted at just the right time to take the pictures. As the moon went back to white, clouds came over.

"But it wasn't as good as four years ago when we had a blood moon. That was really red."

Jason Arthur from Gravesend shared this lunar eclipse snap
Jason Arthur from Gravesend shared this lunar eclipse snap
Jason Arthur from Gravesend shared this lunar eclipse snap
Jason Arthur from Gravesend shared this lunar eclipse snap

The Moon began to enter the Earth's shadow just after 2.30am and the maximum eclipse could be seen just before 5.15am, with the entire eclipse lasting more than five hours.

Have you got photos of this morning's blood moon? Email your pictures to KentOnline at news@thekmgroup.co.uk or tweet @Kent_Online.

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