'Blood Moon' dazzles skywatchers during lunar eclipse

The Moon was tinged with red for a short lunar eclipse seen by stargazers in parts of the Pacific Rim earlier today. The eclipse, in which the Moon passes through the Earth’s shadow, was seen in northern Japan, parts of Australia and areas of western North America. It began at 7.15pm in Japan and at around 8.54pm the moon was fully covered by the Earth’s shadow.

It looked like it should look: quite spectacular if you haven’t seen one before.

Perry Vlahos from the Astronomical Society of Victoria, Australia

Residents of Tokyo, who were keen to see the local cherry blossoms with the rare backdrop, gave up on viewing the “blood moon” due to thick cloud. But it was clearly visible in the early morning skies of Los Angeles, casting its coloured light across Hollywood’s deserted streets. The city’s Griffith Park observatory, located near the Hollywood sign, was streaming the event live. Last month a solar eclipse was visible across northern Africa, most of Europe, northwest Asia and the Middle East.

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