The eclipse is created by Earth passing directly between the sun and moon (Image: EPA/REUTERS )
A lunar eclipse takes place when the Earth passes directly between the sun and moon. This has combined with a ‘supermoon’, when the moon is unusually close to Earth, to create tonight’s spectacle. There won’t be another full solar eclipse until May 2021.
Astronomer Tom Kerss, from the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, commented: “We’re going into this unusual lull in total lunar eclipses over the next couple of years.
“So this is a really good one to catch as it’s going to be a long time before you catch another one like this - we will have other lunar eclipses, we just won’t have anything quite as spectacular until May 2021.”
Space enthusiasts around the world have been recording incredible images of the event.
In one photo, taken in the Balkan nation of North Macedonia, the Blood Moon can be seen glowing behind a church.
READ MORE: What are the myths and omens behind the Blood Moon
The moon pictures over Turkey shortly before the lunar eclipse (Image: EPA )
Blood moon pictures over a church in North Macedonia (Image: EPA )
A photo taken in
