Photo by Dave
Stargazers across Australia have been treated to a rare lunar eclipse that briefly turned the moon red.
The astronomical event known as a "blood moon" occurs when the sun, moon and Earth align, with the colour a result of sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere.
Saturday night's eclipse was the shortest of the century, with US-based Sky and Telescope magazine describing it as "unusually brief".
Sky-watchers in Melbourne had a clear night. The entire process began about 8:00pm (AEST), with the moon becoming red just after 9pm. The full eclipse occurred just after 10pm, when the moon appeared completely red.
The blood moon was the third in a series of four eclipses — known as a "tetrad".
The first eclipse occurred in April last year and the second occurred in September.
The final eclipse of the series is expected to take place in September this year.
No comments:
Post a Comment