Watching the Easter Eclipse
This Easter there’s a total eclipse of the Moon and you won’t need a telescope to view it.
This special event can be seen from wherever you are in Western Australia.
If you’re working away as a FIFO on a mine site, call home at the time of the eclipse. Even if you’re apart you can still share the experience with family and friends!
Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are perfectly safe to watch with the naked eye.
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth and Moon are all in a straight line in space with Earth in the middle.
Earth blocks out the light coming from the Sun and what we see is Earth’s shadow move across the face of the Moon.
On Easter Saturday, 4 April the total lunar eclipse begins at 7.54pm and ends at 8.06pm (Western Australian time). The direction to look is east.
Do you know why the date for Easter changes every year?
Easter Sunday is always the first Sunday after the full Moon, following the March equinox. It’s a bit of a calculation and here it is explained further.
An equinox is when Earth’s ax
is isn’t tilted toward the Sun one way or the other and the hours of night and day are almost equal in length. March’s equinox is on or around 22 March every year.
This year, the March equinox is on the 21st. The full Moon after this date is on Saturday, 4 April and therefore Easter Sunday is the following Sunday which is 5 April 2015.
If you happen to be in Perth for Easter, there’s a special eclipse event on at Old Perth Observatory. For tickets visit the Stargazers Club website or call Carol on 0427 554 035.