The Moon will turn copper red at the weekend, as it did in November 2003 (pictured here).

Credit: Wikipedia

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SYDNEY: The Moon will turn a shade of copper red this weekend when it will be fully eclipsed by the Earth, whose shadow will blot out all but a tiny bit of refracted solar light.

Star gazers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa will have a good view of the eclipse in a late-night sky, with the zenith occurring at 11:21pm GMT on Saturday 3 March (10:21am Sunday, Sydney time).

The Lunar eclipse, though not the copper hue, will also be partially visible to Sunday-morning observers in Western Australia.

Total lunar eclipses occur when the Sun, the Earth and the Moon are all in alignment and the Moon travels into the broad cone of shadow cast by the Earth.

The Moon does not become invisible, though, because there is still residual sunlight that is deflected towards it through the Earth's atmosphere, most of which is light in the red part of the spectrum. This causes the Moon to appear as a dark colour, usually a coppery red, orange or even brown.

The Earth's shadow will begin to creep over the Moon - a stage known as the 'penumbral eclipse' - at about 20:18 GMT on Saturday, according to the U.S. space agency NASA, and will recede entirely some six hours later at 02:23 GMT on Sunday. The period of total eclipse will be relatively short, lasting from 22:40 to 23:57 GMT, a total of 77 minutes.

On the east coast of North America the Moon will already be eclipsed when it rises at around sunset, while in Asia early risers will get a glimpse of the lunar blackout as the Moon sets.

Some part of the eclipse will be visible along the coast of Western Australia from 6.30am local time on Sunday 4 March, said Nick Lomb, astronomer at the Powerhouse Museum's Sydney Observatory.

"Although Western Australia won't see a copper Moon, weather permitting, they will be able to see a clear view of the end of the lunar eclipse," said Lomb. However, the Moon will set shortly after, while still partially eclipsed, preventing a view of the total eclipse.

Total lunar eclipses normally occur roughly every couple of years, but those who miss the one this weekend will get another chance to see the Moon disappear on August 28. This eclipse will be fully visible to people on the eastern coast of Australia, said Lomb.

The last took lunar eclipse took place on October 28, 2004.

More information:

Further details on these eclipses and information on eclipses in general, from NASA

Lunar Eclipse, Wikipedia