Northland skygazers in for treat tonight with almost total eclipse of the moon

A lunar eclipse, similar to this, will be visible over Northland on Friday night and the event will make that Matariki star cluster very easy to see.

Northlanders will get the chance to see two celestial events tonight - a "blood micro-moon" and the longest partial lunar eclipse fully visible from New Zealand in more than 800 years - making the Matariki star cluster more visible.

Northlanders looking to the east should be treated to an almost-total eclipse of the moon with Matariki handily nearby, only about 10 lunar diameters away. The moon's face will be 97 per cent covered by the deepest part of the Earth's shadow, turning the lunar surface briefly red.

The near-total eclipse will take place over three hours and 28 minutes in our night sky - making it the longest partial lunar eclipse seen from the country since 1212.

It is a great opportunity to easily find Matariki in the dark night sky, with clear weather forecast, Bob Adams, from the Northland Astronomical Society said.

''With the long weekend public holiday celebration of Matariki being introduced next year [on Friday June 24], many people may want to know how to locate this star cluster,'' Adams said.

The rising of Matariki just before sunrise at the end of June marks the start of Māori New Year and this is when the event is celebrated.

''Unfortunately most people will be unable to make out Matariki at that time of year as it is very difficult to spot in the light from the rising sun. Mid-summer is the best time to look for Matariki and on November 19 the moon in eclipse provides an ideal marker,'' he said.

Tonight the full moon will start being covered by the Earth's shadow at 8.20pm, with maximum coverage at 10.03pm when only a small sliver of the moon will be illuminated by the sun's rays.

Adams said the sky will be dark enough by then to have a good look at Matariki.

This illustration shows where Matariki will be visible during tonight's almost total lunar eclipse.

''Find it by just looking down and slightly to the left of the eclipsed moon and you should see the cluster of smallish stars that are Matariki. For some people it will be a fuzzy blob of light, whereas others will be able to count the stars,'' he said.

''For a stunning view of Matariki, get out your binoculars and scan down from the moon.
You will be well rewarded. You don't need to go out to anywhere special, just find a spot where you can stand or sit out of direct line of sight from bright lights.

''Then, once you've had a good look at Matariki, look across the sky to your right and you'll see the three stars of Orion's Belt which, for southern hemisphere sky-watchers form the base of the well-known shape of 'the Pot'.

''Further to the right you'll see the brightest star in the sky, Sirius - the Dog Star. Meanwhile the moon will be returning to its full brightness as it passes out of the Earth's shadow, with the eclipse completed by 11.45pm.''