All you need to know about the rare ‘lunar trifecta’ eclipse

ON Wednesday night, Australians will be in for a treat with a rare lunar trifecta taking place. Consisting of a total lunar eclipse, supermoon and blue moon, such an event hasn’t been seen for more than 30 years.

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A total lunar eclipse is when the full moon passes through Earth’s shadow. While this type of eclipse is visible from anywhere on Earth (providing it is night-time), the duration is dependent on how close to moonrise or moonset it is when the eclipse starts in your location.

On average, this is seen in Australia every 2.8 years. However, in 2018, we will be lucky enough to see two total lunar eclipses.

The first will be on Wednesday the 31st of January while the second will take place in late July.

As it enters the depths of Earth’s shadow you can expect the moon to turn a deep red due to the Earth’s atmosphere interacting with the sun’s light. This type of eclipse is also known as a blood moon.

Ironically a blue moon isn’t even blue. The term instead refers to when there is a second full moon in a calendar month.

Lastly, the supermoon part comes into play as the moon will be closest to Earth as it orbits around us. While it will loom large in the sky it will in fact still be 360,198km away.

If you’re keen to stay up and view this rare event, see below for details of when it can be seen from your location.

MELBOURNE, SYDNEY, HOBART, ACT
Eclipse will start at 10:48pm and end at 2:11am

Totality will begin at 11:51pm and end at 1:08am

BRISBANE
Eclipse will start at 9:48pm and end at 1:11am