Sky-watchers are expected to forgo Creedence Clearwater Revival's warning and venture out for a "bad moon on the rise" on Tuesday night.
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Eyes will be watching the horizon to the east as they try to capture a glimpse of a totally eclipsed moon rising at sunset.
The Melbourne Planetarium at Scienceworks says the moon will rise at 5.49pm, already in a total lunar eclipse. The full eclipse will remain until just before 6.25pm. The last of the eclipse event will disappear from view at 7.33pm.
With the Bureau of Meteorology predicting scattered showers and cloudy conditions for Brisbane and Sydney, Melbourne is expected to be one of the best locations to view the total lunar eclipse.
Astronomical Society of Victoria spokesman Perry Vlahos said the moon would be in the Earth's shadow, preventing the sun's direct rays from falling on it.
Mr Vlahos said lunar eclipses could sometimes give the moon an unusual colour, ranging from a dull grey yellow through to tobacco, orange and red. The colour, he said, comes from the volcanic ash in the atmosphere. The more ash in the atmosphere from recent eruptions, the more intense the colour.
Mr Vlahos said the sky's brightness at sunset would make it hard to see the bad moonrise but as the moon rises higher, and the sky darkens, the colour of the moon will become apparent.
"It will be fully eclipsed as it rises over the horizon and the sky will still be quite bright, so you'll have to look for it," Mr Vlahos said.
"What colour it will be, whether it'll be red or not, will depend on how much dust is in the sky. I don't know exactly how it will look but as it gets darker and darker, it is at its best," he said.
"The best place to view it would be on an east-facing beach or anywhere where you can get an uninterrupted, clear view to the horizon. Even if there are distant hills, that's not going to matter very much," he said.
Mr Vlahos said while total lunar eclipses were common, Tuesday's event was rare because the moon would be totally eclipsed as it rose at sunset – a family-friendly time.
Nicholas Dow is part of a cycling group that rides during a full moon. The group intends to make a special ride during the Full Lunar Eclipse, riding out "east" rather than towards the city on their 35-kilometre ride. "We hold an easygoing ride every full moon and luckily we have a full moon and a lunar eclipse," Mr Dow said.
The ride will start at 6pm at Clifton Hill Station taking in parts of Surrey Hills and Burwood.
with Stormy Gleed
