The total lunar eclipse on 7 September 2025 will be visible from the UK as the Moon rises, meaning the Moon will already be eclipsed when it emerges above the horizon.
In fact, totality will have ended about 15 minutes after the Moon pops up above the horizon (as seen from the centre of the UK).
That means, if you want to photograph the 7 September lunar eclipse from the UK, you’ll want to catch it as close to the horizon as possible.
There are many ways to photograph a lunar eclipse and, as you’d expect, some methods work better than others.
Of course, the wild card will be the weather, which caused a lot of issues for much of the UK during the lunar eclipse in March 2025.
All we can do is keep our fingers crossed and hope for crisp, clear, haze-free skies this time around.
Fortunately, with the final partial phase lasting just over an hour, there’s a decent window of opportunity to capture something worthwhile.
Using a smartphone
A smartphone is perfectly acceptable for photographing a lunar eclipse, but the Moon’s apparent diameter of around half a degree will result in a small lunar disc.
Yes, you can zoom in with your phone, but the best results will come from staying within your phone’s optical zoom range.
Beyond that, you’re into digital zooming territory, which is no better than enlarging the image in post-processing using an image editor.
The software increases the number of pixels in the image by interpolating between actual recorded data, filling in gaps with synthetic information.
Get more advice with our guide on how to photograph the Moon with a smartphone.
Camera and lens
A better bet for photographing a lunar eclipse is to use a dedicated camera fitted with a lens of at least 400mm focal length on a full-frame sensor.
This setup will allow you to capture the Moon as a detailed disc with visible surface features.
Mounting the camera on a fixed platform – or, even better, a tracking mount – will help you achieve excellent, sharp images.
The bright lunar surface that is exposed after totality won’t typically require long exposures and so is unlikely to be subject to trailing.
However, if you allow the bright surface to over-expose, you should be able to pull out some of the beautiful umbral colours in the darker part of the shadowed regions.
For this, you’ll need slightly longer exposures, which is where a tracking mount becomes especially useful.
Planetary camera
Another method is to use a planetary camera setup with a wide enough field of view to be able to capture the entire Moon in a single frame.
Planetary setups typically use multi-frame imaging, collecting numerous shots of the same target over a short period of time.
Software such as AutoStakkert! (freeware) can then analyse, quality-assess, register and stack the frames to generate a final image with a higher signal-to-noise ratio than the individual frames.
The trick here is to make sure you don’t extend the capture session too long, otherwise the movement of Earth’s shadow will blur the edge more than usual.
Find out more in our guide to stacking images of the Moon.
6 tips for photographing the September 2025 lunar eclipse
Plan your location
Keep an eye on the weather and, if you’re prepared to put in a little extra effort, identify some alternative locations that might be clear in case you’re clouded out.
Pick sites with unobstructed views in the required direction. From the centre of the UK, the Moon rises at azimuth 100° or just south (right) of east.
Practise, practise, practise
Choose your setup(s) and practise with the Moon on evenings ahead of the eclipse, especially if you intend to relocate on eclipse day.
As a bare minimum, use a DSLR or equivalent with a 400mm or longer lens.
Take your phone for atmospheric shots too, such as the Belt of Venus into which the Moon will rise.
Prepare your camera lens
On evenings before the lunar eclipse, focus your lens as accurately as possible on the Moon.
Then, with the lens set to manual focus, use a length of low-tack electrical tape to secure the focus ring so it can’t rotate.
When the Moon rises on 7 September, the show will already be under way, so you need to be as ready as possible.
Identify where the Moon will rise
To pinpoint exactly where the Moon will appear, visit your chosen location on a night before the eclipse.
Wait for the sky to darken and Saturn to become visible.
Set your camera’s clock accurately (ideally using UT), then take a wide or mid shot of the horizon where you expect the Moon to rise, exposing to capture stars.
Use a stargazing app
Download your images and inspect their EXIF headers using freeware like FastStone.
With a planetarium app, identify stars near the horizon and their azimuths by entering the shot’s date and time. Note the azimuths of visible horizon features.
Using the same app, confirm where the Moon will rise on 7 September.
Give yourself plenty of time
On the night, set up in good time.
Don’t be surprised if the Moon doesn’t show when expected: low haze can easily hide it. Binoculars will very helpful.
Use a low to mid ISO and an aperture around f/8–f/11. Short exposures will capture the bright surface, but try longer ones to reveal colour in the shadowed regions.
If you photograph the 7 September 2025 lunar eclipse, share your images with us by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com