To the delight of star gazers, there was a full moon and partial eclipse overnight on Monday.
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A partial lunar eclipse occurs when the earth moves between the sun and the moon. It began at around 3.20am with the moon at its fullest just after 4am.
Tuncurry photographer Judy Butler was delighted with the clear conditions and captured a number of images of the eclipse including this one:
“During this eclipse, only part of the moon was in the earth's shadow and looked like a bite had been taken out of the corner,” explained Mid North Coast astronomer David Reneke.
“The moon usually turns a light reddish colour that varies due to the weather conditions and air pollution quality.”
The lunar phenomenon isn't exceedingly rare – partial lunar eclipses typically occur once every eight months.
There is no need for special equipment to view a partial eclipse and it generally lasts around five hours as the moon moves into and out of the earth’s shadow.
The next total lunar eclipse visible from the Mid North Coast will take place on January 31 next year when the moon is expected to turn a blood red colour.