Lunar Eclipse | South Australia | 8 Sep 2025
Photo by Marie Gasper
When to see the next Lunar Eclipse from South Australia. Catch a glimpse of the Total Lunar Eclipse from Adelaide this September.
Mark your calendar and hope for clear skies! Around 85% of the world’s population will have a chance to see a ‘blood red’ total lunar eclipse on 7-8 September 2025, with some areas possibly getting the chance to see a band of blue. Here in South Australia you will need to set your alarm for the early hours of Monday 8 September 2025.
The total duration of the eclipse from start to finish is a little over five hours, however, when viewed from South Australia the Moon will be in total eclipse from 3am until 4.22am. This is when the Moon will turn reddish in colour, commonly referred to as a ‘Blood Moon’ (this is not an official scientific term).
The reddish appearance is because the Moon has moved into the ‘umbra’ of Earth’s shadow, which is the darkest part. Here in Adelaide we are in a prime location to witness this celestial event – obviously with weather permitting!
photo by Marie Gasper
WHAT IS A LUNAR ECLIPSE?
There are three types of lunar eclipse – total, partial and penumbral. To understand how a lunar eclipse occurs, Paul Curnow, Astronomy Lecturer at the University of South Australia, explains:
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are exactly, or at least very closely aligned (the technical term is in ‘syzygy’) with Earth between the other two, and only on the night of a full moon. The light from the Sun shining on the Moon’s surface is blocked with the exception some light that has been refracted (bent) by Earth’s atmosphere.
On the night of the eclipse the Moon, it will be approximately 33.4° above the horizon (at maximum eclipse), so it will be towards the northwest, so easy to see for most people, even from suburban back yards with unobstructed views. Sure, this is not an ideal time of night (morning) for people, but it’s worth going out for a look.
WHEN TO SEE THE LUNAR ECLIPSE:
On the morning of 8 September 2025 at approximately 3.41am (maximum eclipse), Adelaide will experience a Total Lunar Eclipse (same time for Port Lincoln and Mount Gambier).
photo by Marie Gasper
For more information and all enquiries please visit the Time and Date website.
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
Image Source: photos by Marie Gasper (@mzmapping) shared with permission. Follow Marie via Instagram or Facebook.
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