There'll Be an Extended Blood Moon Approaching at the End of This Month

Mark 28 July in your diary because a blood moon is coming.

We've got another moon event to look forward to this month with an extended blood moon arriving on July 28.

You read that right: it's not ordinary blood moon, but an extended one that will last for a whopping one hour and 43 minutes.

It's actually only four minutes off the maximum amount of time blood moons can last for.

Wait a minute, what is a blood moon?

Blood moons are a cool term for the event of a total lunar eclipse and appear red due to sun's light bending around the earth's curvature and reflecting off the moon's surface. They aren't particularly common, with one or two usually occurring each year.

Okay, sounds cool, when can I view it?

Australia will miss out on the best views compared with our European, African and Middle Eastern pals, but the phenomenon will be most viewable for Western Australians on 28 July between 3.30am and 5.13am whereas the Eastern cities like Sydney and Melbourne can expect to see the total eclipse begin around 5.30am EST.

It's safe to view with the naked eye so you don't need to go out and buy a special pair of glasses to witness the historic event.

The last blood moon occurred in January of this year, when it coincided with a blue moon event as well as it being closer to the Earth than usual, making it a 'rare super blood blue moon'.

Header Image: iStock.com/gchapel