Total lunar eclipse in Australia, 4 April 2015

By AG Staff March 30, 2015
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The last total lunar eclipse to be seen in Australia for three years will show a blood moon for Easter

AUSTRALIANS ARE IN for an extra Easter show with the last of the three 2014-15 total lunar eclipses playing out on Saturday night, 4 April 2015.

All of Australia will be able to see at least most of the total eclipse, with those watching from the eastern half of the country being able to see the whole total eclipse, because it begins after sunset. (See times below)

The moon is in the north-eastern sky (in the constellation Virgo) and will be above the horizon, so with good weather, the eclipse should be completely visible.

The lunar eclipse — when the moon passes through the Earth’s shadow — is also visible from parts of North America, the Pacific, New Zealand and eastern Asia.

Total lunar eclipse kicks off at 9pm 

The lunar show kicks off at 9:16pm AEDT. The full eclipse begins at 10:57pm. Daylight savings for some of the eastern states ends just after the eclipse finishes at 2am.

Totality is only about 5 minutes long, which is short for a lunar eclipse. This is because the moon passes very close to the edge of the Earth’s shadow in this particular total eclipse.

Unlike a solar eclipse, lunar eclipses are safe to view with the naked eye or binoculars.

Sky gazers will be able to watch the Earth’s shadow creep across the moon, which will likely glow a typical eerie blood red.

The blood red colour is caused by longer (red) wavelengths reaching the moon during this process, which also produces the red of sunsets or sunrises. The next total lunar eclipse will be on 31 January 2018.

Australian times for the lunar eclipse

Adelaide
Eclipse begins: 8:46 pm
Totality begins 10:28 pm
Totality ends 10:33 pm

Brisbane
Eclipse begins: 8:16 pm
Totality begins 9:58 pm
Totality ends 10:03 pm
Eclipse ends at 11:45 am

Canberra
Eclipse begins: 9:16 pm
Totality begins 10:58 pm
Totality ends 11:03 pm
Eclipse ends at 12:45 am

Darwin 
Eclipse begins: 7:46 pm
Totality begins 9:28 pm
Totality ends 9:33 pm
Eclipse ends at 11:15 am

Hobart 
Eclipse begins: 9:16 pm
Totality begins 10:58 pm
Totality ends 11:06 pm
Eclipse ends at 12:45 am

Melbourne
Eclipse begins: 9:16 pm
Totality begins 10:58 pm
Totality ends 11:03 pm
Eclipse ends at 12:45 am

Perth
Eclipse begins: 6:16 pm
Totality begins 7:58 pm
Totality ends 8:03 pm
Eclipse ends at 9:45 am

Sydney
Eclipse begins: 9:16 pm
Totality begins 10:58 pm
Totality ends 11:03 pm
Eclipse ends at 12:45 am

LINKS
Sydney Observatory live stream
NASA live stream