Watching a lunar eclipse is a reminder that we are part of a fascinating universe. No special equipment is needed and it\u2019s usually not hard to find the Moon in the sky. Tomorrow\u2019s eclipse will be our last chance to see a blood moon until 2029, when it will ring in the New Year in the early hours of January 1.<\/p>\n
When can I see the lunar eclipse?<\/p>\n
Lunar eclipses are leisurely events that take a few hours to unfold. <\/p>\n
In this case, it\u2019ll take 75 minutes for the Moon to enter Earth\u2019s shadow \u2013 what\u2019s known as the partial eclipse phase. This will be followed by an hour of totality when the Moon turns red, and then another 75 minutes as the Moon emerges out of the shadow and returns to full brightness.<\/p>\n
Since Earth\u2019s shadow is so large compared to the Moon, everyone on our planet\u2019s night side experiences a lunar eclipse at exactly the same time. To know when to see the totality, we only need to make adjustments for different time zones.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Across most of Western Australia the eclipse begins with the Moon below the horizon. As the Moon rises it will be partly in shadow, making it hard to spot, especially against the bright twilight sky (noting that the Moon is rising as the Sun is setting). <\/p>\n
However, just give it some time and the eclipsed Moon will become easier to see as it climbs higher in the east and twilight gives way to night.<\/p>\n
The eclipse will start later in the evening across the rest of Australia, with the Moon in the eastern sky. In New Zealand the eclipse will begin much later at 10:50pm local time. That will provide the best views, as the sky will be well and truly dark, and the Moon will be high in the north. <\/p>\n
Why does the Moon turn red?<\/p>\n
Against the bright Moon, Earth\u2019s shadow appears black at first. It\u2019s only when the Moon is fully immersed in shadow that the reddish \u201cblood moon\u201d glow becomes apparent.<\/p>\n
Complete lunar eclipse seen from Jakarta, Indonesia, early Saturday July 28 2018. How red the Moon appears depends entirely on the condition of Earth\u2019s atmosphere at the time. The dustier the atmosphere, the less light makes it through, turning the Moon a dark and deep red. <\/p>\n A clearer and more transparent atmosphere allows more sunlight to pass through, bathing the Moon in a bright orange glow.<\/p>\n Only red light makes it through the atmosphere because blue light (which has a shorter wavelength) is scattered away. Known as Rayleigh scattering, it\u2019s the same process that makes the sky blue. Blue light doesn\u2019t pass through the atmosphere towards the Moon, because it has been scattered across the entire sky. No matter where we look in the daytime sky, our eyes will happen upon one of those randomly scattered rays of blue light. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n On March 14 2024 Firefly\u2019s Blue Ghost lunar lander experienced a total lunar eclipse from the surface of the Moon. From its perspective, the lander saw a solar eclipse, with Earth blocking out the light of the Sun and bathing the lunar surface in a red glow.<\/p>\n Celestial misalignment<\/p>\n Because the Moon\u2019s orbit is tilted very slightly relative to Earth\u2019s orbit around the Sun, the three objects don\u2019t always align perfectly for us to see a full lunar eclipse.<\/p>\n For the next six lunar eclipses, the Moon will only dip into Earth\u2019s shadow instead of being fully immersed in it.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/file-20260225-71-nlsnqz.jpg\")
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\n Tatan Syuflana\/AP<\/p>\n
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