It happens once in a Blue Blood Supermoon in Tasmania.
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What has been touted as a lunar trifecta marks a lunar eclipse [blood moon], the second full moon in a month [blue moon] and the closest the moon will appear to the Earth in an approximately 28 day cycle [supermoon] on Wednesday.
As Tasmanians prepare for the rare phenomena, QVMAG collections and research manager Martin George has some bad news.
“It’s not going to happen.”
Or at least not in the way people hoped, but they should still stay up for it, Mr George said.
When the second full moon was fullest was technically a moment in eclipse, he said.
In Tasmania’s time zone, this meant the full moon would be visible about 12.30am on February 1.
“All of this pales in its utter insignificance compared to a lunar eclipse.”
The moon will begin to move into the path of the Earth’s shadow about 10.48pm on Wednesday.
Just over an hour later, minutes before midnight, the moon will appear a reddish colour as direct light is blocked by the Earth’s shadow.
Mr George reminded anyone who might have a calendar from another country that the timing for astronomical events would change because of the different time zone.