text: 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 .
target: 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 .
  A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes in the shadow of Earth .