Stargazers marvel at rare 'Blood Moon'

NEW YORK

Stargazers across a swathe of the world marveled at a dramatic red "Blood Moon" during a rare total lunar eclipse in the early hours of March 14 morning.

The celestial spectacle was visible in the Americas and Pacific and Atlantic oceans, as well as in the westernmost parts of Europe and Africa.

The phenomenon happens when the Sun, Earth and Moon line up, causing our planet to cast a giant shadow across its satellite.

But as the Earth's shadow crept across the Moon, it did not entirely blot out its white glow -- instead the Moon glowed a reddish color.

This is because the only sunlight that reaches the Moon is "bent and scattered" as it goes through Earth's atmosphere, said Daniel Brown, an astronomer at Britain's Nottingham Trent University.

It is similar to how the light can become pink or red during sunrises or sunsets on Earth, he added.

The more clouds and dust there are in Earth's atmosphere, the redder the Moon appears.

Brown called the lunar eclipse, which will last around six hours, "an amazing way to see the solar system in action".

The period when the Moon is completely in Earth's shadow, called the totality, lasts just over an hour.

This event has been dubbed the "Blood Worm Moon," after one of the names given to March full moons by some Native Americans.

Only the most western parts of Europe, such as France's Brittany region, got any chance to see the totality before the Moon sets.

It is the first total lunar eclipse since 2022, but there will be another one this September.