‘Blood moon’ captured in photos across the world

Stargazers across the globe got the chance to see a total lunar eclipse – called a blood moon – on Sunday night and early on Monday.

The moon turned a deep, dark red as the Earth passed directly between the sun and the moon, casting its shadow across the lunar surface.

Asia had the best seats in the house, while countries in the Middle East and Europe also enjoyed prime views.

It was the first time since 2022 that a total lunar eclipse was visible in the UK. Where skies were clear, the eclipse was visible at around 7.30pm on Sunday.

The eclipse was visible to the naked eye and unlike solar eclipses was safe to view directly as the moon’s reflected light is not as bright.

The moon’s red hue was caused by refracted light. Shorter blue wavelengths of light are typically scattered by the Earth’s atmosphere, leaving longer red wavelengths to pass through and reach the moon.

This same atmospheric refraction effect is what causes sunsets and sunrises to look red.

The next partial lunar eclipse will not be until August next year, according to the Royal Observatory Greenwich in London.

Here are some snaps of the big moment…