On Friday night, people of New Zealand will get a treat of a once-in-a-lifetime lunar spectacle i.e. moon event. It didn’t occur in their sky in over 800 years.
For the first time since 1212, the longest partial moon eclipse will be visible in New Zealand. It will begin at 8.20 p.m. NZT when the Earth’s shadow moves across the moon’s face. By 10 p.m., it will be about 97 percent obscured by shadow.
Weather permitting, New Zealand residents will be able to see the lunar spectacle on Friday.
The total lunar eclipse will begin at 8:20 p.m., peak at 10:04 p.m., and end at 11:48 p.m.
The lunar surface will briefly become red at that time. The eclipse will end its three-and-a-half-hour trek shortly before midnight.
Rob Davison, an astronomer, Auckland’s Stardome Observatory, said, “When you have a total lunar eclipse, it’s not uncommon to have the entirety of that lasting for three-and-a-half hours, sometimes a bit shorter, sometimes longer. But for a partial eclipse to last this long, it’s just very rare.”
“Most of the eclipse will be dominated by the shadow moving across the moon, with a brief period where it will appear as a blood micro moon in our night sky,” said Davison.