Blood Moon: Lunar eclipse to grace New Zealand skies this morning

A lunar eclipse resulting in a blood moon. Photo / Jeff Morgan

An elevated spot with a view facing west will be the place to be early this morning for Kiwis who want to see the moon transition into a rare and spectacular blood moon.

The lunar eclipse will be visible across all of New Zealand as the moon passes through Earth’s shadow early today and takes on a deep red colour.

The best time to view it is expected to be 6.11 am. No special equipment will be required to view the unfolding spectacle - only clear skies and the naked eye.

Stargazers will be pleased with weather forecasts - MetService is predicting most of New Zealand’s skies will be clear for the astronomical event.

Te Whatu Stardome astronomer Josh Aoraki told the Herald the lunar eclipse will begin at 3.30am this morning, as the moon begins to enter Earth’s penumbra - or outer shadow.

By 5.30am, it will be a total eclipse, he said. The moon will be completely shadowed by Earth, with a coppery red hue visible.

A lunar eclipse montage. Photo / Greg Stevens

To get the ultimate experience of the beauty of a lunar eclipse, Aoraki recommends an elevated spot with a clear, unobstructed view of the West.

“The weather is looking good,” he said.

It will be the second time this year New Zealand has seen a blood moon - the first was in March.

Before that, the most recent blood moon was in 2022.

Partial solar eclipse

In two weeks, we’ll be in for another captivating planetary moment: a rare and partial solar eclipse.

Aoraki told the Herald Kiwis haven’t seen a solar eclipse “of this magnitude” since 2012, when about 85% of the sun was blocked.

On September 22, the eclipse will already be in progress when the sun rises just after 6am, and it will appear as a crescent when it rises.

“Be sure to have a clear, unobstructed view of the eastern horizon.”

At 6.55am, the solar eclipse will reach its maximum point, with the moon blocking out around 60% of the sun’s disc in Auckland.

The bottom of the South Island will see about 70% of its sun blocked.

The solar eclipse will end just after 8am that day.

Unlike lunar eclipses, solar eclipses do require eye protection as the sun will “at no point” be fully blocked by the moon. Solar viewing glasses will be needed for anyone wishing to safely view it.

Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.