If you feel like getting up pretty early tomorrow morning (or maybe just don’t sleep, whatever’s easier), you’ll be treated to a goddamn marvellous sight. That’s right, folks, it’s the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st bloody century, and we get front row seats.
[jwplayer wpZPnsHa]
Assuming the weather isn’t a dick about it, you’ll get to see an abnormally large blood red Moon sitting on the horizon, which will kick off at around 4:24am AEST on Saturday morning. If that didn’t get you horny enough to get up early on a Saturday, Mars is also popping by for a visit and will be the brightest it’s been in 15 years. Space is mad.
A total lunar eclipse like this happens when Earth‘s big-ass shadow moves across the Moon and blocks out the sun. As that shadow moves across our lunar pal, the light from the sun bends due to the Earth’s atmosphere, creating a haunting red glow. The Moon will be as red as Satan‘s bare ass for 1 hour, 42 minutes and 57 seconds.
Where you’re viewing the eclipse from will determine how long it lasts. If you’re in NSW, ACT, or QLD, you won’t actually get to see the entire thing, but those in Perth will cop all of its red glory for the longest time. In other words, it’s only the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century if you’re over on the west side of the country.
The good folks over at the ABC put together a handy table to help you figure out when to set your alarm. Check it out below.
| July 28 | Partial eclipse begins | Total eclipse begins | Maximum eclipse | Total eclipse ends | Partial eclipse ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide | 3:54am | 5:00am | 5:52am | 6:43am | |
| Brisbane | 4:24am | 5:30am | 6:22am | – (after moonset) | – |
| Canberra | 4:24am | 5:30am | 6:22am | – (after moonset) | – |
| Darwin | 3:54am | 5:00am | 5:52am | 6:43am | – |
| Hobart | 4:24am | 5:30am | 6:22am | 7:13am | – |
| Melbourne | 4:24am | 5:30am | 6:22am | 7:13am | – |
| Perth | 2:24am | 3:30am | 4:22am | 5:13am | 6:19am |
| Sydney | 4:24am | 5:30am | 6:22am | – (after moonset) | – |
If you’re in Sydney or Melbourne, you’ll definitey wanna be up sometime between 6:22am and 7am to catch a glimpse of big bloody Moon, which will be hanging out low on the western horizon. If you’re keen to see bright Mars, it’ll be up to the left of the Moon, as per the image below.
Pretty cool shit, friends. If you ask me, space is a very good and nice time. I’d strongly advise you catch a gander tomorrow morning, because the next time a lunar eclipse is going to last this long is June 9, 2123, and you’ll be dead as fuck.
