Astronomy Down Under

Partial lunar eclipse next week

2 Sep at 12:21 by Wilson

A partial lunar eclipse will be visible in Australia next week. Eastern Australia will see the moon set while still eclipsed (in Earth’s penumbra, but already out of the umbra), while the rest of the country (West Australia, Northern Territory and most of South Australia) will see the full eclipse.

The eclipse (umbra) starts (first contact happens) at 18:05 UTC on the 7th of September, which is 4:05 AEST the next day, peaks at 18:51 UTC (4:51 AEST) and ends at 19:37 UTC (5:37 AEST). The penumbral eclipse extends until 21:00 UTC (7:00 AEST) but the moon will set before that: in Melbourne, it will set at 6:12 (so you won’t miss much of it). If you are a very early riser and have a good view of the western horizon, that will be a great way of starting the day.

Recapitulating, the eclipse starts at 4:05am AEST on 08 September (early next Friday morning). Full details can be seen at the Theodore Lunar Observatory website.