For natural cosmic phenomena, you don’t get more remarkable than a Total Eclipse of the Moon!
For a total lunar eclipse to occur, we need the Sun and Moon to be perfectly aligned in their oribts, with the Earth in the middle. As the Moon travels around the far side of the Earth, it passes directly into the shadow of the Earth.
Eclipses are excellent examples of the extraordinary motion of the objects within our Solar System. This year, Western Australians have the privilege of viewing a Lunar Eclipse in the early evening of the 8th of November. The Moon will rise completely eclipsed and will slowly make its way out of the Earth’s shadow. The Moon will turn a stunning red/coppery colour.
The great thing is, you don’t need a telescope to witness this stunning celestial event. It’s spectacular to see with the naked-eye. However, if you have binoculars and/or a telescope, you’ll get a much closer look of course!
When to look: The total lunar eclipse starts late evening on 7th September and finishes early morning on 8th September.
The penumbral eclipse begins at 11.28pm on 7th September. For naked-eye observers, the real action is when the partial eclipse begins at 12.27am on 8th September. Here are the key times for Perth in WA:
- 11.28pm, 7th September – penumbral eclipse begins
- 12.27am, 8th September – partial eclipse begins
- 1.30am – total eclipse begins
- 2.11am – maximum eclipse
- 2.52am – total eclipse ends
- 3.56am – partial eclipse ends
- 4.55am – penumbral eclipse ends
Which direction to look: The moon will be high in the sky above the north eastern horizon when the eclipse begins and low on the western horizon when it ends.
Something Interesting
During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon becomes a red/coppery colour. As light travels through the atmosphere of Earth, blue light is scattered faster than red light, resulting in blue skies during the day and red/coppery skies at sunrise and sunset. This red/orange light then exits the atmosphere and travels though space, focused by refraction into a structure known as an umbra (Earth’s shadow). When the Moon passes through the umbra the only light that reaches the Moon is the red/orange light left over from sunrises and sunsets the world around. Hence, why we see the red/coppery colour.
Remember
Here on Earth we are lucky enough to be able to witness two kinds of eclipses:
- Solar eclipses, when the Moon moves directly between the Sun and the Earth and partially or completely obscures the disk or the Sun; and
- Lunar eclipses, when the Moon moves directly into the shadow cast by Earth into space.
A lunar eclipse happens when the Sun, Earth and Moon are all in a straight line in space. A lunar eclipse is when the Earth is in between the Sun and Moon and the Earth’s shadow moves across the Moon. A total lunar eclipse is when the Earth’s shadow passes over the whole Moon.
Safety Warning – Are Lunar Eclipses Safe to Look at with the Naked Eye?
Lunar eclipses are safe to observe with the naked eye. Although lunar eclipses are safe to observe with the naked eye, solar eclipses ARE NOT. If you are fortunate enough to view a solar eclipse, ensure that appropriate safety precautions are taken to preserve your eyesight.
Remember: Never look at the Sun directly as it can cause permanent eye damage or blindness.