Lunar Eclipse over Brisbane

Brisbane will have one of the best seats in the house when the sun, Earth and moon align in a spectacular total lunar eclipse on May 26, 2021.

The eclipse will take place when the moon is at its biggest and brightest on Wednesday night in an eye-catching celestial show from 9:11pm to 9:25pm. And unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are perfectly safe to look up and view.

Brisbane will have front-row seats as one of the best locations in the world to view this impressive lunar event in its entirety, from start to finish, and because the moon will be high in the sky it will be easy to see.  

Expect vantage points across the city, like Mt Coot-tha Lookout, to be brimming with stargazers eager to catch a glimpse of what’s commonly referred to as a ‘blood moon’; a term that describes the reddish hue that is cast on the moon by Earth’s shadow during the total eclipse.

Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium Acting Curator Duncan Waldron said stargazers will start to notice changes in the moon’s appearance as early as 6:47pm: “The eclipse will begin when the moon passes through the outer edge of Earth’s shadow, known as the penumbra. We’ll see this as a slight shadow slowly appearing on the surface of the moon. During this total lunar eclipse phase the moon will appear red or orange. This is due to sunlight being scattered by Earth’s atmosphere, much like what happens during a sunset or sunrise."

If you can’t view this eclipse, the Planetarium is the perfect place to discover the wonders of space and learn more about the stars and planets around us by browsing the Display Zone or catching a show in the 12.5-metre Cosmic Skydome.