A lunar eclipse can give the moon a red tint, which is why it is called a “blood moon.” This double-exposure image shows it over Jiujiang, China.
Photographers around the world pointed their cameras to the sky last night to capture a rare total lunar eclipse – or 'blood moon'.
Total lunar eclipses occur when the full moon passes through the darkest, innermost shadow of the Earth, called the umbra. Because only redder light can penetrate our planet's atmosphere, the moon takes on a bloody hue, often referred to as a “blood moon.” The United States witnessed a spectacular “blood moon” in March, but this time it was only visible in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia.
Earth's natural satellite spent about 82 minutes completely in our planet's shadow from Sunday morning through Monday morning (September 7 to 8). It was the longest total lunar eclipse since 2022. If you feel like you missed it, Live Science has collected some stunning images of the event.
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A “blood moon” appears over Beijing, China, on Monday morning.
In Beijing, China, photographer Sheng Jiapeng captured a stunning image of a blood moon rising over the observation tower of the capital's Olympic Park.
During a lunar eclipse, the Moon moves behind the Earth relative to the position of the Sun, making it the opposite of a solar eclipse.
A 'blood moon' over Eindhoven, Netherlands, on Sunday evening.
Photographer Nicolas Economou captured the moon partially in the shadow of residential buildings in the city of Eindhoven in the Netherlands.
The Moon remains visible during a lunar eclipse because some of the sunlight is refracted by the Earth's atmosphere and hits the Moon, and is then reflected back onto the Earth's surface facing the Moon.
A “blood moon” over Berlin, Germany, on Sunday evening.
In Germany, photographer Emmanuele Contini captured a “blood moon” rising behind the spire of the Oberbaumbrücke bridge in Berlin.
The Moon appears red because particles in the Earth's atmosphere scatter blue and other short-wavelength rays from the Sun, causing longer-wavelength orange and red rays to pass through and reach the Moon.
A “blood moon” appears over the airport in Athens, Greece, on Sunday evening.
Photographer Nicholas Koutsokostas took this photo of the 'blood moon' near the air traffic control tower at Athens Airport in Greece.
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This type of lunar eclipse only occurs when the Moon is in the perfect position behind our planet relative to the Sun. When the position is slightly off, and sunlight can still directly hit part of the Moon, it is a partial eclipse. When the position is slightly off, we see a regular full Moon reflecting sunlight back at us, as it does most months.
According to NASA, the next total lunar eclipse will occur on March 3, 2026. In March 2026, the “blood moon” will be visible over America, the Pacific Islands, Asia and Australia.
Patrick Pester, Social Links Navigator, Popular News Writer
Patrick Pester is a popular news writer for Live Science. His work has appeared on other science sites such as BBC Science Focus and Scientific American. Patrick transitioned to journalism after working for zoos and wildlife conservation organisations earlier in his career. He received a Master's Excellence Scholarship to study at Cardiff University, where he completed an MA in International Journalism. He also completed a second MA in Biodiversity, Evolution and Conservation in Action at Middlesex University in London. When he's not writing news, Patrick is an investigator into the sale of human remains.
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