Super blue blood moon a rare astronomical treat

Last night’s rare lunar event captured the imagination of billions of sky watchers around the globe.

Several hundred people gathered at the Bunbury Recreation Ground to see the phenomenon of the super blue blood moon first hand.

Hosted by the Astronomical Society of the South West, a small donation enabled people to look through high-power telescopes brought down from the Bunbury observatory.

One avid skywatcher described the event as “a real treat”.

Elaine Hill said the rare event was exciting to see in person.

“It was great that the Astronomical Society brought their equipment for people to see this amazing event first hand,” she said.

“I think events like this encourage more people to look up at our clear skies and ask questions.”

The lunar “trifecta” is the first seen over Australia since 1982, and will not occur again until 2037.

In astronomical terms, a super moon occurs when the moon is at its closest point to the Earth, know as the perigree.

Last night the moon was a little over 358,000km distant from Earth.

A blue moon is the term given when a full moon appears twice in a calendar month.

The term blood moon refers to the red colour which is apparent as the moon is caught in an eclipse, as the sun, earth and moon line up in the heavens.

The South Western Times asked its readers to send in their pictures.