The lunar eclipse will also coincide with the Mars opposition, where the planet is on the side of the Earth opposite to the Sun.
Mars will be near its closest approach to Earth since 2003. The red planet will thus appear as a bright reddish “star” close to the Moon throughout the night.
WHAT IS A LUNAR ECLIPSE?
Simply put, a lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly behind the Earth, and is thus shrouded by its shadow.
A lunar eclipse happens only during a full moon. The Sun and Moon need to be fairly exactly aligned, with the Earth in between them, for the event to happen.
A total lunar eclipse, as the name suggests, is when sunlight is completely blocked by the Earth from reaching the Moon.
A solar eclipse happens when the Moon is between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon partially or fully blocks the Sun.
A lunar eclipse can be seen from anywhere on the night side of the Earth, whereas solar eclipses can be viewed from only a small number of locations on Earth.
WHEN WILL WE SEE IT?
The maximum eclipse occurs when the eclipse reaches its greatest magnitude while the entire Moon is above the horizon in Auckland. The true maximum point of this eclipse cannot be seen in Auckland because the Moon is below the horizon at that time. Since the Moon is near the horizon at this time, we recommend going to a high point or finding an unobstructed area with free sight to West-southwest for the best view of the eclipse near 7:22am.
Meanwhile, Sydney will have a great view from 5:30am, when the total moon begins to eclipse creating a completely red moon. At 6:21am, the moon is closest to the centre of the shadow. For the best view, make sure you have free sight to West-southwest.
