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Photos: Total lunar eclipse bathes Moon in red

Stargazers enjoyed a total lunar eclipse on Sunday night into early Monday morning.

The blood moon is seen during a total lunar eclipse in Rio de Janeiro
The "Blood Moon" as it was seen from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. [Carl De Souza/AFP]
Published On 16 May 2022

Skywatchers have gathered in different parts of the globe to enjoy a total lunar eclipse that graced the skies for longer than usual.

For about an hour and a half on Sunday night into early Monday morning, the Moon was bathed in the reflected red and orange hues of the Earth’s sunsets and sunrises.

It was one of the longest totalities of the decade and the first so-called “Blood Moon” in a year.

Observers in the eastern half of North America and all of Central and South America had prime seats for the whole show, weather permitting.

Partial stages of the eclipse were visible across Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

A total eclipse occurs when the Earth passes directly between the moon and the sun and casts a shadow on our constant, cosmic companion.

The moon was expected to be 362,000km (225,000 miles) away at the peak of the eclipse.

A woman takes a photo of the moon with her cellphone during the first blood moon of the year, in Caracas, Venezuela
A woman in Caracas, Venezuela, takes a photo of the moon with her cellphone. [Matias Delacroix/AP Photo]
The full moon also known as Flower blood moon is pictured behind the two-headed eagle, the national symbol of Russia atop a building on Red Square in downtown Moscow
The full moon is pictured behind the two-headed eagle, the national symbol of Russia, atop a building on Red Square in central Moscow. [Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP]
People take photos of the first blood moon lunar eclipse of the year at the Killi Killi lookout in La Paz, Bolivia
People take photos of the first "Blood Moon" eclipse of the year at the Killi Killi lookout in La Paz, the capital of Bolivia. [Juan Karita/AP Photo]
The Super Flower Blood Moon seen in the sky during the lunar eclipse over Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
This is how the moon was seen over Skopje, in North Macedonia. [Georgi Licovski/EPA]
The moon is shown emerging from a full lunar eclipse, Sunday, May 15, 2022, near Moscow, Idaho
A total eclipse occurs when the Earth passes directly between the moon and the sun and casts a shadow on our constant, cosmic companion. [Ted S. Warren/AP Photo]
People take photos of a a lunar eclipse during the first blood moon of the year, in Irwindale
The Moon was expected to be 362,000km (225,000 miles) away at the peak of the eclipse. [Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP Photo]
A full moon moves through the shadow of the earth during a "Blood Moon" lunar eclipse in San Salvador, El Salvador
A full moon moves through the shadow of the earth during a "Blood Moon" lunar eclipse in San Salvador, El Salvador. [Jose Cabezas/Reuters]
People gather around the planetarium to watch a lunar eclipse during the first blood moon of the year in Buenos Aires, Argentina
People in Buenos Aires, Argentina gather around the planetarium to watch the eclipse. [Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo]
A total lunar eclipse is seen during the first blood moon of the year, in Temple City, Calif.
The orange colour is caused by the Moon passing into the shadow of the Earth. [Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP Photo]