Moonrise magic: why Friday’s lunar eclipse offers an unusual twilight show for most of Australia

This will be the longest partial eclipse of the 21st century, lasting three hours and 28 minutes

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As the full moon rises on Friday night it won't be as lovely and bright as usual - but it will be fascinating. Across most of Australia the moon will be partially shrouded in Earth's shadow, so it will undergo a partial lunar eclipse as it rises.

A lunar eclipse happens roughly every six months somewhere on Earth. For most of the year, the moon's orbit takes it above or below Earth's shadow but, during an eclipse, the full moon travels through it.