Keen stargazers have stayed up late to catch a glimpse of the stunning and rare ‘super blue blood moon’ – but some have had their views ruined by cloud cover.
A lunar eclipse, super moon and blue moon all occurred in the Australian sky on Wednesday night, a rare confluence that hasn’t been seen in some parts of the world for more than 150 years.
As one of the best places for spectators to see the lunar event, Aussies headed out in droves to have a look.
Keen stargazers have stayed up late to catch a glimpse of the stunning and rare ‘super blue blood moon’ – but some have had their views ruined by cloud cover
A lunar eclipse, super moon and blue moon all occurred in the Australian sky on Wednesday night, a rare confluence that hasn’t been seen in some parts of the world for more than 150 years
As one of the best places for spectators to see the lunar event Aussies headed out in their droves to have a look
Some parts of the country proved more conducive for moon-watching than others as cloud cover obscured the super blue blood moon.
Sydneysiders missed out on spotting the moon due to overcast skies, but people in Perth were able get a clear view of the stunning sight.
The rare lunar trifecta has not been seen in Australian skies for more than 30 years.
Brisbane, Hobart and Canberra also experienced clear skies and offered ideal conditions to see the super blue blood moon.
The lunar eclipse began at 10.48pm AEDT and continued until 1.07am on Thursday morning.
Sydney Observatory’s Brenan Dew said the moon would ‘glow a red colour’ once it is fully immersed.
Some parts of the country proved more conducive for moon-watching than others as cloud cover obscured the super blue blood moon
The red colour is shown by the light of the sun being cast onto the surface of the moon
The red colour is shown by the light of the sun being cast onto the surface of the moon.
From the moon, the Earth would appear as a black circle with a copper-coloured glowing ring around it.
The moon was as close as it can be to Earth during the super blue blood moon.
The moon was as close as it can be to Earth during the super blue blood moon
A super blue blood moon in seen coming out of the total eclipse phase over Perth in Western Australia
It will also appear five per cent larger than usual in the night sky.
A blue moon happens when a full moon occurs twice in one calendar month.
Southern Cross University geographer Professor Bill Boyd said the super blue blood moon is ‘an extremely unusual occurance’