Blood moon: When, where to watch in Australia on November 8
A rare lunar event that turns Earth’s moon blood red has stunned Australians who were lucky enough to get a glimpse of it.
Thousands turned their heads to the sky to see the extraordinary event, which won’t happen again until 2025.
A blood moon occurs when the sun, Earth and moon align in a perfect way, causing the moon to pass into the planet’s shadow.
Australian National University astrophysicist Brad Tucker said this total lunar eclipse gave off a reddish hue to the moon’s surface.
“While the Earth casts a shadow into space, a little bit of sunlight skims through the Earth’s atmosphere and into space,” he said.
“Just as sunrise and sunset are an orange or reddish colour, so is this light that skims through the Earth‘s atmosphere and out into space.”
He said Tuesday would likely be the last chance to glimpse the rare spectacle until 2025.
Dr Tucker explained this was because the moon’s orbit was not in perfect alignment with the sun and the Earth and, as such, only partial lunar eclipses were possible.
“The moon wobbles by about five degrees as it orbits around the Earth,” he said.
Last year, a super blood moon – caused by a combination of a super moon, a total lunar eclipse and a pink moon event – was visible across Australian skies.
Tuesday’s blood moon can be visible with telescopes and binoculars.
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