THESE superb images of the moon clearly capture how Suffolk witnessed the weekend's lunar eclipse, the first seen in the UK since 2004.

THESE superb images of the moon clearly capture how Suffolk witnessed the weekend's lunar eclipse, the first seen in the UK since 2004.

Evening Star reader Steve Plume took the photographs from his Great Blakenham garden on Saturday night as the earth moved between the sun and the moon, casting a creeping shadow.

Mr Plume said: “You could not have asked for a better night to take pictures, it was perfect.

“It was crisp, still and there was little light pollution. There was no mist either.

“I have never taken astronomical pictures before, but I thought I would give it a go and I'm really pleased with the results.”

While lunar eclipses are not as spectacular as solar eclipses, they last for much longer and can be seen from any part of the earth's surface where the moon is above the horizon.

Full moons occur when the sun and moon are on opposite sides of the earth - so lunar eclipses can only happen when the moon is full.

However lunar eclipses do not happen at every full moon. The moon's orbit is tilted by about five degrees to the path of the earth's orbit around the sun, so during most months the moon will pass above or below the earth's shadow, meaning no eclipse occurs.

For photography buffs this is how Mr Plume, a well-known local photographer whose work often graces the pages of The Evening Star, captured the images. Using a sturdy tripod, he shot them on a Nikon D200 with a 300/4 lens and a 2x converter and a D70s via a T2 adapter on a 150mm reflecting telescope.

If you have taken a photo which you would like to appear in the Star e-mail it to EveningStarLetters@eveningstar.co.uk. When submitting pictures contributors are asked to send a photograph of themselves for inclusion.