Stargazers will have the chance to see the Moon look a little different on Friday evening.
A lunar eclipse will leave the Moon looking like it has a "chunk" taken out of it, according to Jonti Horner, an astronomy professor at the University of Southern Queensland.
Horner says Friday's partial lunar eclipse can be a "warm up" for a decade of events to come.
"There's always a good reason to look up," he said.
Where can you see the lunar eclipse?
While New Zealanders will be able to see the full eclipse, Horner says only the eastern third of Australia will have a chance at catching the last stages of it.
"When there is a significant chunk of the Moon that is still seeing some of the sun ... you just see that it's dark and it looks like a chunk has been taken out of the moon," he said.
The further east you are, the better your chances of seeing the "chunk" taken out of the Moon during the .
The "blood moon" effect, likely to be seen in the US, is produced when the Earth is completely blocking the Sun.
"If the Earth had no atmosphere, the Moon would be perfectly black at this point, but the Earth does have an atmosphere and so the red light from the Sun gets bent through the atmosphere and hits the Moon," Horner said.
Horner says to find somewhere with a low eastern horizon for the best views, with the fewest trees, buildings and mountains in the way.
The eclipse is a chance for children to imagine how big the Earth is compared to the Moon, says Professor Horner. Source: AAP / Dean Lewins
"It also tells you why people like the Traditional Owners of the land here in Australia knew the world was round," he said.
"The world was spherical, not flat, because if the earth was flat then the eclipse will just be a line across it."
When can you see the eclipse?
The partial eclipse will be visible once the Moon rises.
It will be visible for 31 minutes in Sydney, seven minutes in Melbourne, 13 minutes in Hobart, 42 minutes in Byron Bay and 30 minutes in Brisbane.
What else can we see in the future?
Lunar eclipses occur "reasonably often" in Australia, Horner said.
There will be total lunar eclipse in the early hours of 8 September — except this one will be visible for all of Australia.
Another will happen on 3 March next year.
From 2028 onward, Australia is headed into "the lucky decade" for solar eclipses, which are much rarer, according to Horner.
The 2028 eclipse will pass over the north of Western Australia, through the Northern Territory, Queensland and NSW, including passing over Sydney.
"You'll actually be able to sit at the Opera House in Sydney and look up and see a total eclipse of the sun."
