WASHINGTON — Skygazers were treated to a rare astronomical event Monday when a swollen “supermoon” and lunar eclipse combined for the first time in decades, showing Earth’s satellite bathed in blood-red light.
The celestial show, visible from the Americas, Europe, Africa, west Asia and the east Pacific, was the result of the sun, Earth and a larger-than-life, extra-bright moon lining up for just over an hour.
Images from France, Argentina and the United States, among others, capture the progression of the lunar eclipse to a striking red finale.
Here are some of them:
AFGHANISTAN
In this picture taken on September 27, 2015, an Afghan man is illuminated by the light from his phone while taking a selfie on the top of the Wazir Akbar Khan hill in Kabul, as a view of the “supermoon” is seen in the background. For the first time in decades, skygazers are in for the double spectacle on September 28 of a swollen “supermoon” bathed in the blood-red light of a total eclipse. The celestial show, visible from the Americas, Europe, Africa, west Asia and the east Pacific, will be the result of the Sun, Earth and a larger-than-life, extra-bright Moon lining up for just over an hour from 0211 GMT.AFP PHOTO / Wakil Kohsar
UNITED STATES
BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 27: The Super Blood Moon rises over a sailboat in Boston Harbor on September 27, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Super Moon coincides with a total lunar eclipse, a rare combination that last occured in 1982. Scott Eisen/Getty Images/AFP
CYPRUS
A blood moon casts its glow over a Christian Orthodox church in Anthoupolis, a suburb of Nicosia in the early hours of Monday, Sept. 28, 2015. A lunar eclipse has given the moon a red tint and makes it appear larger than usual. The rare confluence of an eclipse and supermoon wont happen again for 18 years. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
GERMANY
The total lunar eclipse to a blood moon is seen in the dark sky in Essen, western Germany, on September 28, 2015. AFP PHOTO/PATRIK STOLLARZ
INDIA
The moon is seen at the skyline in Siliguri on September 28, 2015. For the first time in decades, skygazers are in for the double spectacle Monday of a swollen “supermoon” bathed in the blood-red light of a total eclipse. The celestial show, visible from the Americas, Europe, Africa, west Asia and the east Pacific, will be the result of the Sun, Earth and a larger-than-life, extra-bright Moon lining up for just over an hour from 0211 GMT. AFP PHOTO / DIPTENDU DUTTA
ENGLAND
The moon turns red during a total eclipse, seen behind the iconic Liver Bird on the Liver Building in Liverpool, north west England, early on September 28, 2015. For the first time in decades, skygazers were in for the double spectacle on September 28 of a swollen “supermoon” bathed in the blood-red light of a total eclipse. AFP PHOTO/PAUL ELLIS
FRANCE
The moon appears behind the Eiffel Tower in Paris on September 27, 2015. For the first time in decades, skygazers are in for the double spectacle Monday of a swollen “supermoon” bathed in the blood-red light of a total eclipse. The celestial show, visible from the Americas, Europe, Africa, west Asia and the east Pacific, will be the result of the Sun, Earth and a larger-than-life, extra-bright Moon lining up for just over an hour from 0211 GMT. AFP PHOTO / LUDOVIC MARIN
VENEZUELA
A swollen “supermoon” is seen during the stages of a total eclipse in Caracas on September 27, 2015. For the first time in decades, the double spectacle of a swollen “supermoon” bathed in the blood-red light of a total eclipse can be seen. The celestial show, visible from the Americas, Europe, Africa, west Asia and the east Pacific, will be the result of the Sun, Earth and a larger-than-life, extra-bright Moon lining up for just over an hour. AFP PHOTO/JUAN BARRETO
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