Melbourne: On Tuesday, March 3, the Moon will pass directly through Earth’s shadow, creating a total lunar eclipse. Best of all, Australia and Aotearoa, New Zealand, are in a prime position to watch the show.
This time, the eclipse even occurs at a reasonable hour – no need to set an alarm and crawl out of bed at a ridiculous time.
On Tuesday evening, a dark shadow will begin to sweep across the bright and full Moon. Once the Moon becomes fully immersed in shadow, it will take on a reddish glow.
Astronomers call this “totality”. But with the ominous appearance of a red Moon hanging large in the sky, it’s no wonder that throughout history and across cultures it was seen as a portent of evil. In today’s world, the name: blood moon” has readily captured public imagination.
Watching a lunar eclipse is a reminder that we are part of a fascinating universe. No special equipment is needed and it’s usually not hard to find the Moon in the sky. Tomorrow’s 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.
Lunar eclipses are leisurely events that take a few hours to unfold.
In this case, it’ll take 75 minutes for the Moon to enter Earth’s shadow – what’s 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 from the shadow and returns to full brightness.
Since Earth’s shadow is so large compared to the Moon, everyone on our planet’s 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.
