Awesome moon in offing! A lunar eclipse is set to dazzle today
Today evening people across Australia and New Zealand will be treated to a total lunar eclipse, weather permitting.
It's an opportunity to not be missed, as the next one won't be visible from our region until 2025.
A lunar eclipse happens when the Moon travels through Earth's shadow.
If the Moon only partly makes it into the shadow, that's a partial eclipse.
In a total eclipse, the Moon becomes fully immersed and takes on a reddish/orange glow.
In today's eclipse the period of totality – when the Moon is fully immersed in shadow – will last a leisurely 85 minutes.
The only light reaching the Moon's surface will first pass through Earth's atmosphere, which is why the Moon will take on a red hue.
Just how red it appears will depend on how dusty Earth's atmosphere is at the time.
It will be a wonderful experience to share with family and friends, especially as you won't need any equipment to see it.
It's also safe to look at – unlike solar eclipses, where special care must be taken when viewing the Sun.
A twilight moon or a midnight moon?
Everyone on the night side of the Earth will experience the lunar eclipse simultaneously.
But what time that is for you will depend on your timezone.
In New Zealand the eclipse will happen late in the evening, and the eclipse maximum will be just before midnight.
The Moon will be high in the northern sky.
Across Australia, the eclipse will happen around moonrise.
So the Moon will be much lower in the sky and battling against the twilight glow during the eclipse's early stages.
Eastern Australia will see the eclipse shortly after the full Moon rises.
The further north you are, the longer you'll need to wait before the eclipse begins.
For Brisbane it will start more than an hour after moonrise, so the Moon
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