By ANNE BESTON
The longest lunar eclipse for 1000 years was a spectacular sight - if you were in Wellington.
For most Aucklanders cloudy skies meant only fleeting glimpses of a slowly disappearing full moon until the moment of total eclipse - when it was impossible to see anything.
To make matters worse, Auckland was eclipsed during the two-hour event by Wellington, where the moon turned a shade of orangey-pink at the point of total eclipse just after 1 am. "It was pretty impressive," said Carter Observatory senior astronomer Brian Carter.
Dunedin's view was as bad as Auckland's. "It was hopeless but we had a great party anyway," said astronomer Chris Hilder, who estimated that a crowd of more than 300 gathered in the Octagon.
Christchurch and Nelson also reported good views of the eclipse.
The Stardome Observatory in One Tree Hill received a flood of calls from internet stargazers wanting to know why their screens were a murky grey.
"Our pictures would have been spectacular if it hadn't been cloudy," said astronomer Dr Ian Griffin. About 200 people had gathered at the observatory.
There will not be a longer lunar eclipse - when the Earth passes between the moon and the sun - until the year 3000.
This photo was taken by Herald photographer Mark Mitchell at 2 am at Waikanae near Wellington using a digital camera with a 300mm lens, 2-times teleconverter and 2.5 second exposure. It was shot on F5.6 with 400ASA film.
Capital eclipses Aucklanders' glimpse
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