Sky watchers in the UK will be hoping for a cloudless sky on Wednesday evening so they can get the best view of the longest total lunar eclipse since 2000.

The dramatic event will turn the moon blood red for 100 minutes during the period of totality.

But Nasa warned Europeans will miss the early stages of the eclipse 'because they occur before moonrise.'

The eclipse beings at 6.24pm (BST) and ends at midnight but sunset doesn't occur in the UK until 9.19pm.

People in the eastern half of Africa, the Middle East, central Asia and western Australia will be able to enjoy the entire event. However, those in the U.S will miss out as the eclipse will occur during daylight hours. [ dailymail ]

The moon is normally illuminated by the Sun. During a lunar eclipse the Earth, Sun and Moon are in line and the Earth’s shadow moves across the surface of the full moon.

Sunlight that has passed through the Earth’s atmosphere makes the moon appear red, brown or black.

The moon travels to a similar position every month, but the tilt of the lunar orbit means that it normally passes above or below the terrestrial shadow. This means a full moon is seen but no eclipse takes place.