Photographers from around the world have captured breathtaking images of the recent partial lunar eclipse. This celestial phenomenon occurs when the moon’s orbit aligns with that of the Earth and the sun, in a configuration known as syzygy.
The eclipse was visible in its entirety from Europe, Asia, Africa, and parts of North America. People in these regions witnessed a “blood moon,” as the moon partially turned red. However, in other parts of the world such as North America, South America, and Australia, the moon simply appeared to darken.
A stunning photograph taken in Munich, Germany, shows the shadow of the Earth creeping over the moon. The image was captured through a brief gap in the local cloud cover.
An image taken in New Delhi, India, depicts the partial lunar eclipse over the capital city, while a series of 12 images taken in L’Aquila, Italy, shows the eclipse’s progression from that location. At its peak, the eclipse plunged 6 per cent of the lunar surface into darkness.
During a lunar eclipse, the moon is not completely dark, as sunlight is refracted by Earth’s atmosphere. This refraction scatters shorter wavelengths of light, resulting in longer wavelengths, which give the moon a reddish hue, commonly known as a “blood moon.”
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