'Blood moon' shines over Perth
Skygazers in WA's south-west corner were plagued by nagging cloud cover during last night's total lunar eclipse, while the rest of the State enjoyed a brilliant view of the rare celestial event.
The Weather Bureau said a band of convective cloud bubbled up late this afternoon, slightly obscuring the view of the "blood moon" between Pearce and Albany.
The clouds hung around until after sunset but most Perth gazers still managed to get a decent look at the phenomenon.
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, the moon and the Earth align and the Earth blocks all sunlight to the moon.
The view from elsewhere. Blood Moon over Red Square, Russia. Picture: Pavel Golovkin/AP
The light from all the Earth's sunsets and sunrises is then bent around the Earth's atmosphere and reflected onto the moon, causing it to glow a deep red.
The view from elsewhere, in this case California. Picture: Reuters
Stargazers Club WA manager Carol "Galaxy Girl" Redford said more than 100 people gathered at the old observatory in West Perth to watch the sky show.
The crowd, including many children, enjoyed a picnic dinner before the moon rose.
Ms Redford said astrophotography specialists captured a time lapse of the total eclipse while tours of the old observatory were also offered.
Canberra had the best seats in the house for Wednesday night's total lunar eclipse. Photo: Supplied to 7News by viewer Andrew Bubb
Lunar eclipses happen once or twice a year, but a total eclipse is much less common.
Picture: Steve T
Tonight's event was considered even rarer because it was part of a lunar eclipse tetrad — a series of four consecutive total eclipses occurring about six months apart.
The view from elsewhere. The Blood Moon appears behind a gargoyle atop the old red Dallas County Courthouse. Picture: Tom Fox/Dallas Mornaing News/AP
The first happened on April 15, and the final two are expected on April 4 and September 28 next year.
The Blood Moon over BHP. Picture: Ben Crabtree/The West Australian
