Eye on the Sky: Get set for total lunar eclipse

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In April, with the equinox behind us, the days are rapidly getting shorter as we pass through the middle of autumn and head towards the cold dark days of winter.

The summer constellation of Orion dominates the evening sky and sets a couple of hours after the sun.

The little star cluster Matariki (Pleiades) has all but disappeared from the evening sky and is now setting with the sun as it prepares to reappear in the morning sky by the end of the month, signifying the beginning of the Maori new year.

The planets are nicely lined up in the morning sky at the beginning of the month. Venus is still a dazzling spectre in the morning sky and is visible during the day if you know where to look.

You may catch Mercury low on the dawn horizon as it makes a fleeting appearance before being lost in the glare of the rising sun.

Before midnight Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are the kings of the night sky. All three are visible after 10pm. Mars will be at its brightest this month and will be in opposition (rising when the sun sets) around April 7.

There is a lunar eclipse coming on April 15.

It will be the first total lunar eclipse visible from Australia and New Zealand in two and a half years. The eclipse starts around 5pm. As the sun sets watch for the penumbra shadow of the earth dim the rising moon. Around 6pm real changes will be visible.

Watch as the moon blackens with the passing of the core of the earth's shadow, turning the moon a coppery red mid-eclipse.

The totality phase lasts approximately 78 minutes, so get your cameras ready, it should be an excellent photo opportunity.

For more information on the lunar eclipse check out www.iceinspace.com and www.rasnz.org.nz/Eclipses/ or contact the Rotorua Astronomical Society via Facebook.