Skywatchers across the globe witnessed a stunning partial lunar eclipse late Thursday night and into Friday morning, as Earth’s shadow covered 96% of the lunar disk. The event transformed the full Sturgeon Moon into an almost blood red hue visible from North America, Europe, South America, and the United Kingdom.
The almost blood moon
glows in the skies over North Carolina. | Credit: Kevin McCarthy
Orbital Mechanics of the Almost Blood Moon
The celestial alignment occurred as Earth passed between the sun and the moon, casting its deep umbral shadow across the lunar surface in an impressive display of orbital mechanics. About 96% of the moon passed through this inner shadow, falling just short of a total eclipse according to NASA, leaving a tiny crescent exposed to direct sunlight. The dramatic reddish-orange appearance, frequently called a blood moon, results from Rayleigh Scattering. As sunlight filters through Earth’s atmosphere, its shadowed surface becomes saturated with filtered light.
The partial phase began shortly after 10:33 p.m. EDT on Aug. 27 (0233 GMT on Aug. 28), when Earth’s shadow took its initial bite out of the full Sturgeon Moon captured from the Hungarian village of Zsujta. In the United Kingdom, the partial eclipse remained visible across the South East from 02:23 until 06:51 BST, where Sussex Weather Watchers and Kent Weather Watchers photographed the August full moon lighting up the sky as it took on a distinct reddish appearance in many areas.
Global Perspectives From Hungary to the United Kingdom
Photographers around the world captured the orbital event against dramatic architectural and natural backdrops. In the Hungarian village of Zsujta, Robert Nemeti captured the exact moment Earth’s shadow took its first “bite” out of the lunar disk, where Tycho Crater remained visible in the lower region of the lunar disk close to the shadow alongside bright ejecta rays of reflective material that brighten darker lunar seas, where lava solidified to form basaltic plains billions of years ago.
Earth’s inner shadow touches the lunar disk in the skies over Hungary. | Credit: Photo by Robert Nemeti/Anadolu via Getty Images
Down in Athens, Costas Baltas framed the eclipsed moon sharing the sky with the Parthenon in a tranquil wide-angle photo. Earth’s curved silhouette could be seen clearly on the lunar disk in the shot, serving as proof of our planet’s spherical shape, just as it did for the ancient Greek philosophers who helped pioneer the idea over 2,000 years ago.
The eclipsed moon shines over the Parthenon in Athens, Greece | Credit: Photo by Costas Baltas/Anadolu via Getty Images
Further west, observers contended with local weather patterns while chasing the shot. In North Carolina, photographer Kevin McCarthy worried thunderstorms throughout the night would ruin his chances of capturing the event.
With thunderstorms in the area throughout the night, I was worried I may miss the chance to capture this event,
McCarthy told Space.com.
But, at the last minute, as the maximum shadow coverage approached, the clouds parted long enough for me to get the shot.
Deep partial lunar eclipse from Charlotte, North Carolina. | Credit: Kevin McCarthy
Across the Atlantic, Josh Dury faced similar obstacles in the United Kingdom before trusting his instincts during his predawn shoot.
The fantastic moment when the moon turned red,
Dury said to Space.com.
Nearly didn't get this image due to unexpected fog at my first location. My gut said – 'move'. Approaching the peak of the eclipse this was the image I was able to capture.
The almost blood moon’s crimson coloring was also on full display in a shot from Mauro Pimentel taken as a thin crescent of the lunar disk was left exposed to direct sunlight in the skies over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Sturgeon Moon captured over Brazil. | Credit: Photo by MAURO PIMENTEL / AFP via Getty Images
Composites, Craters, and Urban Silhouettes
Astrophotographers utilized different techniques to document the progression of Earth’s shadow. Giuseppe Pappa constructed a stunning composite image of the eclipse depicting Earth’s shadow rolling across the lunar surface during the partial phase from Pedara, Sicily, using a Canon 760D with a 300 mm lens to capture lunar seas standing out on the remaining sunlit portion of the lunar surface.
A composite shot of August’s partial lunar eclipse. | Credit: Giuseppe Pappa
In Phoenix, Arizona, Kohinoor Kar documented another stunning composite view showing the transformation of the lunar disk from full Sturgeon Moon to an eclipsed near-blood moon.
Partial lunar eclipse from Pheonix, Arizona. | Credit: Kohinoor Kar
Other vantage points captured the moon setting past human infrastructure and historic masonry. Isa Terli photographed the partially eclipsed moon shining over the Suleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul, Turkiye. Lorenzo Di Cola lined up a stunning shot of the full moon glowing close to the Rocca Calascio fortress in Calascio, Italy, on Aug. 28, as Earth’s shadow retreated from the lunar disk following the point of maximum eclipse.
The eclipsed moon shines close to the Rocca Calascio fortress in Italy. | Credit: Photo by Lorenzo Di Cola/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Finally, Angel Martinez captured a gorgeous shot of the eclipsed Sturgeon Moon setting behind a cluster of skyscrapers in Madrid, Spain, as atmospheric effects distorted the true color and outline of the lunar disk.
The moon bids farewell in the skies over Spain.
What Comes Next for Stargazers
While observers in parts of the world watched the sun, Earth, and Moon line up in the night sky to create the lunar eclipse, regional visibility varied. For those who missed the August display, the next lunar eclipse visible in the UK will be in February 2027.
