This event only happens once per decade.

This Wednesday, astronomers and inhabitants of the Pacific region will have the chance to attend at the end of the day the celestial spectacle of the “super Moon”.

This is the first total lunar eclipse in two years.

From the Pacific to the west of North America, via Australia, enthusiasts will be able to discover this enormous moon whose color will darken to become red, reminiscent of the glow at the time of sunrise or sunset. .

Unlike a solar eclipse, this phenomenon does not present any danger to the eyesight.

30% brighter and 14% larger

This exceptional spectacle will occur when the moon is at its perigee, the point closest to the Earth between 11:11 and 11:25 GMT.

That is to say in the evening in Sydney and before dawn in Los Angeles, that is to say when the Moon will be in the shadow of the Earth.

This eclipse will be different because it coincides with a "super Moon" that is to say that the full moon will appear relatively larger than the average because it will be quite close to the Earth, at 358,000 km, which earned it this qualifier .

At this time, the moon appears 30% brighter and 14% larger than at its furthest point.

"This is very important," said Andrew Jacobs curator of astronomy at the Sydney Observatory, which will bring together amateurs and experts at a party for the event.

“I expect a clear night,” he added.

A special flight to observe it

The event will be broadcast live and 20,000 people have already registered.

Australian airline Qantas offered a unique two-and-a-half-hour flight.

The “Supermoon Scenic Flight” will depart from Sydney to the east, over the Pacific, to offer these privileged passengers a breathtaking view of the southern sky.

For those who wish to enjoy this exceptional spectacle, Andrew Jacobs believes that it is in "Australia, New Zealand and much of the Pacific" that the sight will be most striking.

"The American continent will be able to observe it early in the morning but (they) will not necessarily see all parts of the eclipse."

This "super moon" should not be observable from Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

According to Bill Cooke of NASA, "the people of Hawaii and the Aleutian Islands (located southwest of Alaska) will be able to see the entirety of this eclipse."

Bad omen

In history, lunar or solar eclipses were a bad omen, especially among the Incas.

Some Australian Aboriginal communities saw it as a sign that someone who left had been injured or killed.

Those who miss Wednesday's show will have to wait until 2033 to witness the next “Blood Moon,” as the Americans call it.

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