The Moon during totality on 28 October 2004. ©Sally Russell The last total lunar eclipse visible until 2007 took place on October 28 2004. Although clouds prevented most UK observers from seeing anything, a small group in Greenwich were able to watch the eclipse between 3.23 and 4.45 that morning.

With a disappointing weather forecast, we were delighted when the clouds lifted (at least patchily) and a brick-red Moon could be seen hanging in front of the stars in the constellation of Aries. The red colour arises from sunlight scattered through the Earth's atmosphere on to the lunar surface. An astronaut on the Moon looking towards the Earth during an eclipse would probably see our planet in silhouette but framed within a sunset-coloured ring.