Eyes in the sky – when to see the super blood moon in a total lunar eclipse in Brisbane
Ah, la luna – that beautiful orb in the sky that’s responsible for the tides and making people go loopy sure is a sight to behold. While the moon is a total smokeshow at the best of times, there are certain lunar events that kick the visuals up a notch and there’s one just around the corner – it’s a super blood moon, baby! Us Earth-bound creatures are getting a double whammy, as this aerial treat is also coinciding with the first total lunar eclipse in two years. Want to sneak a peek? We’re hot for moon spotting so we’ll help you out …
Consider this a headliner in the great cosmic ballet – the super blood moon and lunar eclipse in Brisbane is going to be quite the stunner. For the uninitiated, a super blood moon kicks off when we experience a total lunar eclipse when the moon is in perigee (that’s a fancy word for when it’s closest to Earth). When the moon and the Earth get this cosy, you get your stock-standard super moon – but when it’s combined with a total lunar eclipse, that’s when things get interesting. The moon will get a nice red tinge because of the way that light passes through the Earth’s atmosphere during a lunar eclipse – so this two-for-one turns out to be a winning combo for lovers of celestial events.
Okay, so let’s get to the good stuff – dates and times. Wednesday May 26 at 9:11 pm is when the real action starts, with the moon reaching maximum eclipse at 9:19 pm before closing the show at 9:25 pm. If you simply can’t be bothered to step outside (we respect it), the European Space Agency (ESA) will be running a live feed of the super blood moon lunar eclipse from its New Norcia deep-space ground station in Western Australia – you can find the feed here. Fingers crossed for a clear night and for the clouds to keep out of the way – as we need not remind you of the super pink moon letdown of 2020.
To find out more about what’s on in Brisbane, head to our Event Guide.