People across much of the Americas, Australia, the Pacific islands, and Asia were able to see the moon turn the color of Mars as it moved into Earth’s shadow on Nov. 8 at 803 hours Greenwich Mean Time.
For viewers in the eastern U.S. and Canada, that meant the total lunar eclipse began at 3:03 a.m., while moon-gazers on the West Coast started looking skywards shortly after midnight.
The eclipse was visible across most of central and North America, while those in western-central Europe and the Middle East will have to wait until 2025. In Asia, the eclipse fell on the 15th of the 10th month in the Chinese lunar calendar.
The “blood moon” eclipse was be the last time Earth completely covers the moon from direct sunlight until March 14, 2025. The previous total lunar eclipse occurred this May 15 and May 16, depending on one’s terrestrial vantage point.
- Reunite With Family Under a Full Moon! China’s Mid-Autumn Festival
- Legends of the Mid-Autumn Festival
The initial phase of the eclipse lasted about an hour until 4:09 EST, when the partial eclipse started to become visible.
Success
You are now signed up for our newsletter
Success
Check your email to complete sign up
Normally, the moon reflects light from the sun to varying degrees during its fortnightly cycles from new to full moon and back. But during the brief period of the eclipse, the only light reaching the moon’s surface comes from the rays passing through Earth’s atmosphere, which gives the moon a rusty red or orange tint.
Total eclipse was achieved at 5:16 a.m. EST and lasted for about an hour and a half to 6:41 a.m., though in practice stopped being visible shortly after 6 a.m. local time due to the sunrise.
