Even if September feels like a quiet month with few festivals, the universe always has a trick up its sleeve. On the night of Sunday September 7, the sky will treat us to a rare blood moon during a total lunar eclipse. And Bangkok happens to be one of the few spots in the world where you can catch this cosmic spectacle.
But don’t expect Blood Moons to appear fully red as they actually glow with a mix of deep orange and red hues. This mesmerising colour happens during a total lunar eclipse, when the sun, Earth and moon align perfectly. In this alignment, the Earth blocks direct sunlight from reaching the moon. The sun’s blue light, which has a shorter wavelength, is scattered away, while the red and orange light passes through Earth’s atmosphere and bends onto the moon, giving it that fiery, otherworldly glow.
According to the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT), the Big Mango will get its first glimpse of the lunar eclipse at 10.29pm on September 7. The real show kicks off at 12.31am, when the blood moon reaches its deepest, most fiery red. So, this is the perfect time to grab your binoculars or camera to catch this celestial event. You’ll have about one hour and 22 minutes to enjoy it before the total eclipse ends at 1.53am.
This total moon shadow is the first to be visible in Thailand in three years, since the last one in 2022. Besides the kingdom, it can also be observed in many parts of the world, including Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, the western regions of North America, the eastern regions of South America, the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans, as well as the North and South Poles.
If it rains or you’d rather stay indoors, you can still watch the phenomenon live on NARIT’s Facebook page from 10.29pm onwards.