There's no denying it, the "supermoon lunar eclipse" didn't disappoint.
A large swathe of the planet was treated to a rare lunar event on Sunday night and early Monday morning when a so-called "supermoon" coincided with a lunar eclipse. Neither of these astronomical events are particularly rare in their own right, but their coincidence hasn't happened since 1982 and won't happen again until 2033.
Although clouds interrupted most of totality in my location (near Los Angeles, Calif.), I was lucky enough to spot the beautiful "blood moon" for a short time and, later, the bright disk of a supermoon.
Here I've collected some supermoon lunar eclipse photos from around the world, including my own. If you want to have your astronomical shots featured, send them to ian_oneill@discovery.com, or tweet me at @astroengineor @Discovery_Space.
Ian O'Neill (Woodland Hills, Calif.)
Clouds were tricky over Los Angeles, Calif., where total lunar eclipse was often obscured by cloud, as shown in this view over the Griffith Observatory.
Ted Soqui/Ted Soqui Photography/Corbis
It just so happens that last night's supermoon was also a "Harvest Moon" -- the closest full moon to the autumnal equinox.
Photo: The lunar eclipse over Windsor Castle, Berkshire, UK, in the early hours of Monday morning.
Mark Kerrison/Demotix/Corbis
During a lunar eclipse, the Earth is between the sun and the moon, but the moon still receives sunlight that refracts through our planet's atmosphere, often turning the moon deep red or orange. This is not why some eclipses are called "blood moons," however.
A blood moon is the last total lunar eclipse of 4 successive total lunar eclipses (with no partial lunar eclipses in between), each of which is separated by 6 lunar months. For more information on the "lunar tetrad", see EarthSky.org.
Photo: The supermoon lunar eclipse begins to set over Gaza.
Ibrahim Khatib/Demotix/Corbis
The supermoon sets over Sydney, Australia, before the lunar eclipse commenced. Unfortunately for Australia (and much of Asia), the eclipse occurred on the other side of the planet.
Mark Bakovic/Demotix/Corbis
The supermoon lunar eclipse at totality in clear skies over Jerusalem, Israel.
Omer Messinger/ZUMA Press/Corbis
The supermoon lunar eclipse over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Supermoon eclipse
Clouds block a clear view of the supermoon eclipse over New York.
Julia Reinhart/Demotix/Corbis
Clear skies over Cape Town, South Africa, provided sharp views of totality.
Sumaya Hisham/Demotix/Corbis
The supermoon eclipse hangs over statues in Venice, Italy.
Simone Padovani/XianPix/Corbis
As the supermoon slipped out of totality, sunlight reflected bright off the moon's surface, ending the last supermoon eclipse until 2033.
Ian O'Neill (Woodland Hills, Calif.)
The total lunar eclipse comes to an end over Cape Town, South Africa.
Sumaya Hisham/Demotix/Corbis
After the lunar eclipse, the supermoon continued through the night. Although the term "supermoon" sounds grand, it is a bit overstated. As the moon orbits the Earth in a slightly eccentric path, the Earth-moon distance varies by approximately 30,000 miles, making a full moon appear 14% bigger in the night sky at the point of closest approach (perigee) compared with the point of furthest extent (apogee). Still, the moon can shine up to 30% brighter, making a supermoon appear brighter than normal.
Photo: The supermoon on Sunday night (local time) after lunar eclipse over Woodland Hills, Calif.
Ian O'Neill
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