THE longest eclipse of the century is happening this month.

On July 27 the Moon will pass through the Earth’s shadow, in the first central lunar eclipse in seven years, which will be visible for 103 minutes.

The moon will also appear an unusual shade, a blood moon similar to the supermoon that could be seen in January, but smaller.

Jonathan Powell, author of South Wales Argus night sky column, said: “For many this will be the eclipse of a lifetime, as it’s the longest of the 21st century and there won’t be another like it for 82 years.

“When particles are in the atmosphere they reflect at one end of the spectrum, showing us a reddish hue over the moon, which is what gives it that colour.

“We expect the moon will rise across the region almost fully eclipsed. In Newport it should rise, just shy of being totally eclipsed, around 9.05pm with the mid eclipse at 9.20pm.

“It won’t be a supermoon. It will be a small reddish micromoon, because the moon is in a position called apogee, which means it’s at its furthest point from Earth.

“The opportunity for photographers to catch a glimpse of this is spectacular because, although there are a fair few lunar eclipses, we won’t see another like this for quite some time.”