Sydneysiders missed out on Saturday night 's lunar eclipse , but Melbourne and Adelaide residents had a spectacular view of the 'blood moon ' as it lit up the sky . Wet and cloudy weather was to blame in Sydney , where the Sydney Observatory said the short lunar began at 10.58pm ( AEDT ) and finished at 11.03pm . 'Our live feed from Griffith Observatory is showing gorgeous totality pink ! ' observatory staff wrote on Twitter at about 11pm , accompanying their tweet with a picture of equipment showing off the bright pink moon . Scroll down for video . The lunar eclipse as seen from Melbourne on Easter Saturday , April 4 . A total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon is completely in the Earth 's shadow . Wet and cloudy weather was to blame for Sydneysiders missing out on the view , but the Sydney Observatory captured every moment with their equipment . Brisbane was also predicted to miss out due to bad weather , but the moon was pictured revealing itself through rain clouds towards the end of a total lunar eclipse . The beginning of the eclipse was captured from behind leaves illuminated by a street light in Canberra on Saturday . 'It 's highly likely that it will still be cloudy , ' The Bureau of Meteorology 's Chris Webb had said of Sydney , adding that a break in the clouds at precisely the right moment could still present a slim chance for hopeful sky gazers . Brisbane , Darwin , Canberra and Hobart residents were also promised slim chance of viewing the phenomenon due to poor weather conditions , but clear night skies were predicted for Adelaide , Melbourne and Perth . Those faced with bad weather may not have missed out on much however , with the event being one of the shortest lunar eclipses of the century . 'Some sources indicate it will be around 10 minutes of totality , which will make it the shortest since 1917 , but other sources say it will be less than five minutes which makes it the shortest since 1592 , ' Sydney Observatory astronomer Andrew Smith told the ABC earlier . Despite rain and clouds predicted to obscure the event for Canberrians , this image was taken of the full moon behind clouds on Saturday night . Taken in Canberra : The event was predicted to be one of the shortest lunar eclipses of the century . The eclipse begins in Canberra : Weather warnings did not deter star gazers . Residents of Auckland in New Zealand also had a spectacular view of the 'blood moon ' A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes through the edge of the earth 's shadow . This is an area known as the umbra , where light from the sun is blocked by our planet . The light refracts differently in the atmosphere and , as it hits the moon , it appears red . The eclipse is the third in a series of four blood moons , with the final one expected on September 28 . Part of the lunar eclipse is seen behind fully bloomed cherry blossoms in Utsunomiya in Tochigi prefecture , 100km north of Tokyo on April 4 . Sky-gazers in part of the Pacific Rim enjoyed the 'unusually brief ' total eclipse of the moon . A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes through the edge of the earth 's shadow . This is an area known as the umbra , where light from the sun is blocked by our planet . Santa Monica Mountains in Topanga , California , also had an amazing view of the eclipse on Saturday . A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes in the shadow of Earth . This is an area known as the umbra , where light from the Sun is blocked by our planet . The light refracts differently in the atmosphere and , as it hits the moon , it makes it appear red . This gives rise to its 'blood red ' appearance during a total eclipse , when the entire moon is in shadow . If it skirts the shadow , known as a partial or penumbral eclipse , the effect is less dramatic . Simon Allen , BOM 's senior meteorologist , told the ABC that Adelaide would have the clearest skies out of all the states - where the partial eclipse began at 8.45pm and the peak at 10:30pm . In Brisbane , cloudy conditions and showers were forecast , denting the chances of seeing the eclipse . There was no rain in Melbourne , where an uninterrupted view of the lunar event began at 9:15pm and peaked at 11pm . Less positive wass the forecast for Hobart , which was for clouds and a 20 per cent chance of rain . The same was also expected in Canberra and a late storm was due in Darwin , however the former managed to clear up enough for some to see the lunar show . Those who miss out will have to wait until January 31 , 2018 , for the next lunar eclipse visible from Australia . As did the Echo Park district of Los Angeles . Early risers in the western U.S. and Canada were treated to the spectacle before dawn Saturday . Clear skies in southern Japan ( left ) while New York ( right ) saw a glimmer of the lunar show through low hanging clouds . Residents in Santa Barbara , California , had this beautiful sight in their skies . The moon turns red over the Mojave Desert in Landers , California .
The April lunar eclipse turned the moon blood red on Saturday night . Bad weather ruined viewing chances for Sydney , Brisbane , Hobart , Darwin . Adelaide and Melbourne had the clearest skies out of all the states . Comment: