Stargazers across Australia will stay up late this Tuesday as the full moon turns red in a rare, "must-see" lunar eclipse. On Tuesday night, the moon will slowly slip into Earth's shadow and emerge glowing deep red in a total lunar eclipse — the only 'blood moon' visible from Australia in 2026. The transformation will be visible in every state and territory across the country, although the highly anticipated phase of totality (lasting 58 minutes) will occur at slightly different times depending on time zones, according to Jonti Horner, a professor of astrophysics from the University of Southern Queensland. Unlike many celestial events that require special glasses or expensive equipment, this one asks you to simply step outside and look up. What causes a lunar eclipse? A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, casting a gigantic shadow across the lunar surface and turning the moon a deep reddish-orange during totality. This alignment can only happen during a full moon phase.