People gather at Parliament House during Enlighten. Photo: Australian Parliament House.
Visitors to this year’s Enlighten Festival will be able to watch a very special show from the lawns of Australian Parliament House – complete with telescopes.
The festival again lights up the Parliamentary Triangle from 27 February to 9 March, but on top of the usual array of lit-up buildings, live music and food trucks, the solar system is also getting in on it.
A lunar eclipse is set to take place in the sky over Australia on Tuesday, 3 March and Australian National University astrophysicist Brad Tucker will be on the forecourt guiding visitors through the spectacle.
Two planets are also set to make a rare appearance together.
“We’ll have it all,” he said.
What to expect from the lunar eclipse
The show begins before 9 pm.
“The Moon will start kind of getting into the Earth’s shadow around 8:40 and we’ll start to see the Moon darken about 10 minutes later,” Dr Tucker explains.
By 10:04 pm, the eclipse will reach totality, when the Moon is fully in Earth’s shadow and turns a deep red.
“The peak is at 10:33 pm, so that’s when it’s smack in the middle and will be the darkest and reddest,” he says.
After 11 pm, the Moon will begin to emerge from the shadow.
“So we get about an hour of darkness and that blood red colour.”
The Moon during a lunar eclipse. Photo: Yu Kato.
Unlike a solar eclipse, it’s completely safe to watch with the naked eye. So, 10 to 12 telescopes will be set up on the Parliament House forecourt for close-up views and photos.
Despite all the light spilling into the sky from the various projections, Dr Tucker says it won’t be an issue.
“The Moon is so bright, it doesn’t really matter,” he said.
“Even when it’s in the shadow and that red colour, you can see it from anywhere.”
The bigger concern? Cloud.
“That’s the biggest thing we need – a cloudless night.”
It’s also at a far more civilised hour than the last one.
“We had a lunar eclipse six months ago, but it was kind of cloudy and it was at 3 am, so those are a lot harder to catch rather than 10 pm.”
A bonus appearance
The eclipse won’t be alone.
“We’re in one of those periods when we have a number of planets visible in the sky, really just has to do with the orbits of those planets,” Dr Tucker says.
Jupiter and Saturn, which take years to orbit the Sun, are both well placed at the moment.
“On the lunar eclipse night, we’ll have Jupiter and Saturn out and Jupiter will not be too far from the Moon.”
ANU astrophysicist Brad Tucker will guide visitors through the eclipse. Photo: ACT Historic Places.
Venus will also make an early appearance, right after sunset.
Dr Tucker said a similar planetary grouping appeared during last year’s festival.
“So it’s kind of a nice timing that we have it for this one as well, in addition to the lunar eclipse.”
For those who miss out, or want more, Enlighten events will also run at Mount Stromlo Observatory across the first and second weekends of Enlighten, with projections on the telescopes and bookable stargazing sessions.
What else is happening at Parliament House?
The eclipse is just one part of Parliament House’s Enlighten program.
Public Programs and Engagement director Gillian Drew said the building had taken part in the festival since 2011.
When Dr Tucker mentioned the eclipse would fall during this year’s event, “we thought it would be a great idea to have the telescopes on the lawns on the forecourt of Parliament House”.
Projection shows, featuring the work of author-illustrator Philip Bunting and his children’s book Democracy, will still run on the building until 11 pm. But perhaps best of all, there’ll be free parking available on site.
“We’re hoping people choose to start their night at Parliament House, park up here, enjoy the show here and then walk down to see the rest of Enlighten,” Ms Drew said.
“I want everyone to start their night at Parliament House.”
Visit Enlighten for the full program of events.
