Australian skywatchers view partial lunar eclipse

The moon is 37% obscured by the Earth’s shadow during the partial lunar eclipse above Sydney yesterday

The first partial lunar eclipse of the year provided a dramatic scene over Sydney late yesterday, with a clear moon visible over the city as the event unfolded. “It does look a bit odd because it’s not like a normal crescent moon,” said Jonti Horner from the astrophysics department of Sydney’s University of New South Wales. Yesterday’s eclipse is part of a rare double show which includes the transit of Venus, when Venus passes between Earth and the Sun, appearing under magnification as a small black dot that trots across the solar face. The next transit will not take place until 2117. The Middle East and parts of Europe will get the end part at sunrise tomorrow.