Total lunar eclipse in Australia, 8 October 2014
A TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE, the second and last lunar eclipse of 2014, will be visible above Australian skies on Wednesday 8 October.
The eclipse will commence when the Earth’s shadow slowly creeps across the face of the moon until the moon is fully covered by the Earth’s shadow before the Moon continues to move out of shadow.
In Canberra, Tasmania, New South Wales and Victoria the total lunar eclipse will be seen in the north-eastern sky from about 8pm (AEDT). The eclipse will be visible in Darwin from about 6:30pm, Queensland from about 7pm, South Australia from about 7:30pm and Western Australia from about 5pm.
Totality will occur from 9.25pm AEDT.
Unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse is safe to view by the naked eye, through a telescope or through binoculars.
- Video: What is a lunar eclipse
- 15 April 2014 total lunar eclipse
- 10 of the best Australian observatories
What causes a total lunar eclipse?
A lunar eclipse is observed on a night of the full moon when the Sun, Earth and the Moon form a straight line, known as a syzygy. Like the lunar eclipse on 15 April 2014, this one will also turn the moon a deep red-to-brown colour, owing to light filtering through Earth’s atmosphere, as it does with sunrises and sunsets.
The next two total lunar eclipses in this series of four will be seen on 4 April and 28 September 2015, though only for a few minutes for the first one and during the day for the second. This makes the 8 October total lunar eclipse the best one to see in Australia until early 2018.
Sydney Observatory will be streaming the Lunar Eclipse live at: www.sydneyobservatory.com.au
(Photos and animation by Geoffrey Wyatt/Sydney Observatory)
Australian times for the total lunar eclipse
South Australia
Eclipse starts: 7:45pm
Totality begins: 8:55pm
Maximum eclipse: 9:25
Totality ends: 9:55pm
Eclipse ends: 10.05pm
Queensland
Eclipse starts: 7:15pm
Totality begins: 8:25pm
Maximum eclipse: 8.55pm
Totality ends: 9:25 pm
Eclipse end: 10:35pm
ACT
Eclipse starts: 8:15pm
Totality begins: 9:25pm
Maximum eclipse: 9.55pm
Totality ends: 10:25pm
Eclipse ends: 11:35pm
Northern Territory
Eclipse starts: 6:45pm
Totality begins: 7:55pm
Maximum Eclipse: 8:25pm
Totality ends: 8:55pm
Eclipse ends: 9:05pm
Tasmania
Eclipse starts: 8:15pm
Totality begins: 9:25pm
Maximum eclipse: 9.55pm
Totality ends: 10:25pm
Eclipse ends: 11:35pm
Victoria
Eclipse starts: 8:15pm
Totality begins: 9:25pm
Maximum eclipse: 9.55pm
Totality ends: 10:25pm
Eclipse ends: 11:35pm
Western Australia
Eclipse starts: 5:15pm
Totality begins: 6:25pm
Maximum eclipse: 6:55pm
Totality ends: 7:25pm
Eclipse ends: 8:35pm
New South Wales
Eclipse starts: 8:15pm
Totality begins: 9:25pm
Maximum eclipse: 9.55pm
Totality ends: 10:25pm
Eclipse ends: 11:35pm
