From midnight to 3AM this morning, Australians were fortunate enough to catch a great view of the last full lunar eclipse until 2014. Those in the best position were on the east coast, with Sydney being ideal. I’m not sure what it was like in Melbourne — I was too busy hiding away from the rain, which I’m sure would have impaled me had I wandered outside.
Compared to a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipses provides a bigger window of opportunity for observers — not only do they last longer (hours, rather than minutes), anyone on the night side of the planet can potentially see it. The red appearance is caused by the reflected sunlight scattering in the Earth’s atmosphere, with the longer wavelengths punching through better than the shorter ones.
The best place to be during a lunar eclipse isn’t Earth at all — according to NASA, the Earth is surrounded by a fiery-glow during such an event. How are those astronaut credentials shaping up for 2014?
If you happened to see the eclipse or, even better, captured a shot, please share in the comments below.
Image: NASA