Donna Burton, Astronomy for Schools co-ordinator based in Coonabarabran, said during the total eclipse, the full moon appears to turn orange then red as it passes behind the earth and into earth’s shadow.

She said total lunar eclipses could only occur when the earth, moon and sun were perfectly or very close to perfectly aligned with each other and only at the full moon.

“Unlike solar eclipses which can only be seen in a narrow area of the earth, lunar eclipses can be seen wherever on the earth it is night time,” she said.

“Also, unlike solar eclipses which are quite dangerous to watch without special equipment, lunar eclipses are safe and require no equipment except a decent eastern horizon, comfy chair, banana lounge or even a blanket on the ground to observe!”

The eclipse will start at about 7.15pm as the earth’s shadow first touches the moon – this will be just as the moon is rising and the sun has just set.

The first stage will only lead to a slight dimming of the usually bright full moon rising.

From about 8.15pm, the moon will start to appear red as it moves into the partial eclipse stage, with the full eclipse about 9.27pm.

The total phase where the moon will be at its reddest will last until about 10.20pm when the moon will again start to brighten with the partial phase ending at 11.30pm.

The moon will be back to normal by around 12.30am.

The startling image pictured here is of the various phases of a recent total eclipse. This set of images was taken by astronomer Kevin Cooper using his 5” Schmidt Cassegain Telescope with a Canon DSLR. 

Take a look at the lunar eclipse tomorrow and let us know what you think on the Namoi Valley Independent’s Facebook page.