The Moon might look a little different to usual if you look up in the eastern-most parts of Australia on Friday night.
While many parts of the world will see a stunning “blood red” moon eclipse on Friday, a fraction of Australia will catch just the final moments of a partial eclipse as the Moon rises.
Jonti Horner, an astronomer with the University of Southern Queensland, has gone so far as to call this Friday’s eclipse a “non-starter” for most Australians.
But for those lucky enough to see it, the Moon will appear to be missing a sliver against the twilight sky as our neighbour moves out of Earth’s shadow.
And even though it might not be quite as exciting as seeing a “blood moon”, Professor Horner said this is a “warm up” for our own run of spectacular total eclipses starting later this year.
So, if you are in the east and you have clear skies, here’s when and where to see it.
Where is the best place to see the March eclipse?
Friday’s lunar eclipse will only be visible to those in the eastern-most part of Australia — anywhere east of a line drawn between Cairns and Hobart.
The further east you live, the more of the eclipse you’ll be able to see.
Byron Bay for instance will be able to see the partial eclipse for about 40 minutes, and Brisbane will be able to see it for about 30 minutes.
LocationVisible from (moonrise)DurationCairns6.34pm AEST10 minsRockhampton6.16pm AEST31 minsBrisbane6.07pm AEST30 minsByron Bay7.05pm AEDT42 minsSydney7.16pm AEDT31 minsCanberra7.29pm AEDT18 minsHobart7.34pm AEDT13 mins
You can search for details about your specific location.
To see it, look directly to the east as the Sun is setting in the west.
The further east you are, the earlier the Moon rises (in the same way as the Sun), so those in the east will see more of the partial eclipse.
“[The Moon] rises during the partial eclipse, but it will still be low in the sky when the partial eclipse is happening,” Professor Horner said.
“That can make it more impressive and photogenic.”
This time of day will make the Moon seem more impressive because of what is called the “Moon illusion”. This illusion makes the Moon seem larger when it’s closer to the horizon then when it is up high in the sky.
What will I see?
Sadly, no-one in Australia will see a “blood moon” at any point.
Those able to catch the partial eclipse will only see a small section of the Moon in darkness, which will get smaller and smaller as the Moon rises.
It will look dark, rather then red, because of the amount of moonlight still being reflected.
This is what the partial eclipse may look like from eastern parts of Australia. (Supplied: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio)
“It just looks like the Moon has a chunk taken out of it,” Professor Horner said.
“And it won’t look like a three-quarter moon, because the curve will be going the wrong way.”
This will be visible even in twilight, but with only a few minutes to view the eclipse in some areas, be sure to get out early.
And, with limited places to see it, the last issue for this particular eclipse might be the weather, with cloud and rain predicted in some areas, so check the Bureau of Meteorology for local details.
What is a lunar eclipse?
In case you need a refresher, a lunar eclipse is when the Sun, the Earth and the Moon align, with the Earth is in the middle.
The Moon passes through the shadow cast by the Earth, producing a red colour on the lunar surface.
Just what you see depends upon how perfect the alignment is.
During a lunar eclipse, Earth’s shadow passes across the Moon. (ABC: Julie Ramsden)
Lunar eclipses usually happen once or twice a year, and can happen at any time of night.
An eclipse happens at the same time wherever you are on Earth, but you can only see one when the full Moon is above the horizon between sunset and sunrise in your time zone.
There are three phases.
The total or “blood moon” eclipse is when the full Moon passes fully into Earth’s shadow turning it various shades of red.
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The Americas are in the box seat for this one.
This phase happens in the late night/early morning in the US time zones, which correspond to the Australian afternoon, and is completely over before the Moon rises in eastern Australia.
“I’m excited for people in North America,” Professor Horner said.
A partial eclipse is the phase just before and after a total eclipse where the shadow is only partly across the Moon. That’s what will be visible on Friday from the east coast of Australia.
And a penumbral eclipse falls either side of that, at the very beginning and end.
This is when part of the Sun is blocked by the Earth, but no part of the Moon is completely covered in darkness.
“That’s where the Moon is sliding into the Earth’s shadow,” Professor Horner said.
This may make the Moon appear slightly dimmer, but he said anyone looking at the Moon is unlikely to notice the difference.
Places as far west as Adelaide and Darwin may experience the end of this phase — if it is visible at all.
When is the next eclipse for Australians?
If this one turns out to be a fizzer, Professor Horner suggested there’s plenty of other eclipses on the horizon which are much more exciting.
If you can get up in the early hours of Monday, September 8, you’ll see a total lunar eclipse, or “blood moon”, from anywhere in Australia.
“That’s an hour or so of the Moon being a blood moon,” Professor Horner said.
“That’s the impressive one.”
Then, in March 2026, there will be another total lunar eclipse visible in the early evening right across Australia.
And another early morning eclipse in December 2028.
Australia is also well placed for total solar eclipses over the next few years.
“In 2028, 2030, 2037 and 2038 we’ve got this run of four total solar eclipses in Australia,” Professor Horner said.
“And they’re going to be really awesome.
“I don’t want people to go out and see this [lunar eclipse] and be disappointed and not go out for the others, which could be much, much better.”
