‘Super blood moon’ total lunar eclipse transfixes viewers around the world

People around the world stayed up on Wednesday to watch a cosmic event called a super blood moon, a combination of a total lunar eclipse and a brighter-than-usual super moon.

During the build-up, a glittering moon rose above the horizon. As the Earth’s shadow began taking bites from the moon, it created a dramatic effect. Half the moon vanished, leaving it looking like a black-and-white biscuit.

When the full eclipse took hold, however, the moon darkened, turning a smudgy dark orange colour for many viewers.

In celestial terms, it was a wonder: a projection of the world’s sunsets and sunrises onto the black canvas of the eclipsed moon. But for people peering up from their gardens, it was not quite the brilliant display they had anticipated. Not quite super or blood-coloured.

“It was not that vivid for those on ground,” said Ben Noll, a meteorologist with New Zealand scientific research agency NIWA. “Personally, I thought there would be a bit more red in the sky.”