Lunar Eclipse and Supermoon: Photos From Around the World - The New York Times

Lunar Eclipse and Supermoon: Photos From Around the World

Photographers captured scenes in the skies as the Earth’s shadow covered the moon.

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A combination photo showing the different stages of the blood moon and supermoon during a total lunar eclipse in Los Angeles, on Sunday.CreditCreditRingo H.W. Chiu/Associated Press

By The New York Times

Jan. 21, 2019

There it was in the night sky as Sunday stretched into Monday: a total lunar eclipse. Where people had clear conditions and unobstructed views, the moon took on a coppery red color.

It was the only such eclipse of 2019, and it occurred just before midnight Eastern time. In parts of New York City, the night might have been frigid enough to keep potential skywatchers indoors, but the clouds had cleared enough for a good view, following cloudy obstructions earlier in the day.

The eclipse took place because Earth got between the sun and the moon, throwing a shadow over our planet’s pearly satellite. It’s the opposite of a solar eclipse, when the moon gets in the sun’s way, causing night to fall during day on parts of Earth’s surface.

The eclipse also marked a supermoon — a full moon that is at perigee, or much closer to Earth than usual. To the naked eye, a supermoon is barely perceptible, but it was another reason to enjoy the night’s astronomical show. Some even called it the “super blood wolf moon.”

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Two more supermoons will occur this year, as will a total solar eclipse in the Southern Hemisphere in July and a “ring of fire” eclipse in parts of Asia around the end of the year. Skygazers on the East Coast of the United States may also get to witness Mercury transit across the sun in November.

And who knows? Other surprises in space and astronomy may await us in the year to come. For now, savor these scenes from the total lunar eclipse.