Australians are being advised to manage their expectations ahead of the much-anticipated blood moon on Friday, which, instead of the full lunar eclipse, might only be visible as a partial eclipse.
While reports about a rare orange-red moon may spark excitement, observational astronomer Professor Michael Brown from Monash University said the full eclipse will be visible only in the US.
“Unfortunately this time around a total lunar eclipse is visible from the Americas but by the time we get to see it we only get to see a partial eclipse,” Brown told 7NEWS.com.au.
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What will happen on Friday?
This Friday, a total lunar eclipse will occur when the earth comes between the sun and the moon, casting a shadow on the moon.
Although the moon will be in shadow, it doesn’t go completely dark.
Instead, some sunlight bends through the earth’s atmosphere and reaches the moon, causing it to appear red.
This phenomenon, known as “rayleigh scattering”, is what gives the moon its orange-red hue during the eclipse.
“When it [the moon] is in the middle of the earth’s shadow and it’s a total eclipse, the moon is over the Americas,” Brown explained.
“But by the time the earth spins around and we get to see it, the moon is emerging from the earth’s shadow, and so we only get to see a partial lunar eclipse.”
However, a partial eclipse is still a spectacular sight, and it’s the first of its kind visible in Australia since November 2022, when a total lunar eclipse left stargazers in awe.
How to watch it?
While those in Western Australia and South Australia may have a slimmer chance of viewing the eclipse, people on the east coast could catch the partial eclipse on Friday, according to Brown.
As it won’t last long, he advised looking for it as soon as the moon rises: “I would try looking right at the moonrise, because it’s partial and ends quickly.”
“You don’t need anything special to look at the lunar eclipse, the naked eyes are absolutely fine,” he added.
Brown also mentioned Brisbane will have a better view than Melbourne.
Expected moonrise times on Friday across Australia’s capital cities are as follows (local time):
- Brisbane — 6.04pm
- Sydney — 7.13pm
- Melbourne — 7.40pm
- Canberra —7.22pm
- Adelaide —7.35pm
- Darwin —7.02pm
- Hobart —7.32pm
When’s the next total lunar eclipse?
“The lunar eclipses are rare, but they do pop up from time to time,” Brown said.
While Australians will only see a partial eclipse this Friday, a more impressive total lunar eclipse is expected in the early hours of September 7 or 8, offering a much clearer view.
“Definitely worth having a look at this time, but don’t expect a blood red moon,” he said.
“You’ve got an opportunity for a total lunar eclipse in September and that’s gonna be much better.”
