Gallery: Lunar eclipse visible Sunday night

On Sunday, a total lunar eclipse took place. According to physicist Martin Vällik, it began around 8 p.m., as the moon was rising.
From Estonia's point of view, the eclipse began as the moon rose around 8 p.m., physicist Martin Vällik said. Because the satellite was already partly in Earth's shadow at that moment, it did not immediately appear as a full moon but looked more like a crescent.
"Over the course of about an hour, the moon moves fully into Earth's shadow and takes on a characteristic reddish or brownish hue. This phenomenon is often called a blood moon. It results from Earth's atmosphere, which bends sunlight so that it refracts into the shadowed area. Because red light passes through the atmosphere more easily, it reaches the moon's surface. If someone were observing Earth from the moon, they would see a dramatic red ring around the planet's atmosphere, just like during a sunset," Vällik explained Sunday.

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Editor: Johanna Alvin, Marcus Turovski










