Patchy viewing for lunar eclipse

STACY SQUIRES/The Press

ONCE IN A RED MOON: A view of the lunar eclipse from Canterbury. High winds and cloudy skies meant patchy viewing for some of the eclipse, known as the luna rossa because of the moon's coppery glow.
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High winds and cloudy skies around the country meant patchy viewing in some areas of the only total lunar eclipse visible from New Zealand for seven years.
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A lunar eclipse happens when the moon passes through the Earth's shadow while the moon, sun and Earth are directly aligned.

The Earth's shadow blocks the light that normally reflects off the moon, and the moon visibly dims, as light is bent by the Earth's atmosphere into the shadow.

If there is enough dust in the Earth's atmosphere, the surface will appear blood red. The last total lunar eclipse, sometimes called a blood moon eclipse, seen in New Zealand was in July 2000.

Total eclipses are rare because the sun is usually above or below the plane of the Earth's orbit.

Alan Gilmore, a senior astronomer at the Mt John Observatory at Lake Tekapo in the South Island, said last night that "extremely overcast" skies when the eclipse began about 7.50pm cleared rapidly.

"The skies cleared dramatically about 9pm, and we've had good views since. We've been debating the colour and decided it's perhaps a dried apricot."

Mr Gilmore said during the last lunar eclipse in 2000, the moon looked like it was "red-hot", while last night's moon was a much duller colour.

A spokesman for Dunedin Astronomical Society said a deluge around 5pm had cleared and although viewing had been patchy since, there had been plenty of chances to chart the eclipse's progress.

"We're getting a great view at the moment – the moon's been ducking out between the odd shower.

"It's quite a bright red, and you can see quite a bit of detail on the moon's smooth surfaces."

In Wanganui, a spokesman for the Wanganui Astronomical Scoiety said viewing had been intermittent.

"Right at the moment we're struggling with patchy cloud – we watched the moon disappear into the shadow, but now we're just getting the occasional glimpse.

"It's quite interesting when you do see it, it's gone quite red."

In Auckland, high winds chased clouds across the sky, but allowed enough gaps for viewers to see regular glimpses of the eclipse, the New Zealand Herald website said.

Last night's event is the second of two total lunar eclipses to happen this year, but will be the only one visible in New Zealand.

The next total lunar eclipse in which all stages will be visible from New Zealand is not due until 2014.

The eclipse started about 7.50pm as the moon slowly moved into the Earth's shadow, but only became visible after 8.50pm.

The moon was expected turn a coppery colour between 9.50pm and 11.55pm last night, when it would start to move out of the shadow and was expected to be back to normal shortly before 12.30am today.