Triple full moon lights up Victoria’s sky

THE triple full moon was in full flight across Victoria overnight as the world stopped to view the stunning lunar eclipse trifecta. See our reader photos and amazing images from around the world.

THE triple full moon was in full flight in Victoria overnight as gazers watched the lunar eclipse trifecta in awe.

The total lunar eclipse, super moon and blue moon was an event not seen for more than 30 years.

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The stunning event took about three hours, finishing at 2am.

People living in Melbourne's east had one of the world’s best views of the rare event.

The lunar eclipse blue blood moon over Melbourne. Picture: Tony Gough

The moon here in Melbourne right now. #superbluebloodmoon pic.twitter.com/X9rqYPB9KY

— Nicola (@Little_Inkings) January 31, 2018

pic.twitter.com/zBvyStOcvV

— Peter Bozinoski (@peterbozinoski) January 31, 2018

Woke my moon-obsessed daughter to watch the eclipse through a telescope in our street in Wantirna and managed to get a couple of pics in the process. pic.twitter.com/Av2VMsk0SG

— Lyndon Main (@LyndonMain) January 31, 2018

From Huon Hill in Wodonga pic.twitter.com/IunEfrG8Od

— North East Scanner (@nescanner) January 31, 2018

From Highett Victoria 🤗 pic.twitter.com/lYR2PyNq2r

— Patricia Kimtia (@PatriciaKimtia) January 31, 2018

From Camberwell #SuperBlueBloodMoon Australia pic.twitter.com/VEDsfJnRIe

— Jane Catania (@janecatania) January 31, 2018

The full moon rises above Melbourne's CBD. Picture: Shaun Campbell

Peter and Maree Baker with Wags the dog on their farm in Baringhup, about 100km northwest of Melbourne. Picture: Rob Leeson

The moon rises over Melbourne before the triple eclipse. Picture: AAP/Tracey Nearmy

Catching a rare lunar event

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Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Rod Dickson said residents in Melbourne’s east had the clearest view in Melbourne.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the full moon passes through Earth’s shadow.

While this type of eclipse is visible from anywhere on Earth (providing it is night-time), the duration is dependent on how close to moonrise or moonset it is when the eclipse starts in your location.

On average, this can be seen in Australia every 2.8 years.

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This year we will be lucky enough to see two total lunar eclipses.

The next will take place in late July.

As it entered the depths of Earth’s shadow, the moon turned a deep red due to the Earth’s atmosphere interacting with the sun’s light.

This type of eclipse is known as a blood moon.

And ironically a blue moon isn’t even blue.

The term instead refers to when there is a second full moon in a calendar month.

Lastly, the supermoon part came into play because the moon was closest to Earth as it orbited around us.

While it loomed large in the sky it was still 360,198km away.

The super blue blood moon is seen setting in Barcelona, Spain. Picture: AP

The moon above the Bosphorus straits in Istanbul. Picture: AFP

A plane is seen next to the super blue blood moon over Hong Kong. Picture: AFP

San Francisco before dawn. Picture: AFP

The moon rises behind the 2500-year-old Parthenon temple on the Acropolis of Athens, Greece. Picture: AP

Residents of the Pakistani port city of Karachi watch the moon during the lunar eclipse. Picture: AFP