Photo submitted to the Times Observer Lunar Eclipse/Blood Moon By Sarah West in Warren, PA

Local photographer Sarah West recently pointed her camera at the sky to capture the first total lunar eclipse since 2022.

Thursday night and early Friday morning skywatchers across the Americas and other parts of the world were treated to a spectacular total lunar eclipse, commonly referred to as a “Blood Moon.” This celestial event, the first total lunar eclipse since 2022, captivated observers as the moon took on a striking reddish hue during its passage through Earth’s shadow. The totality phase lasted one hour and six minutes. The eclipse was visible across North and South America, parts of Africa, Europe, Australia, Russia, and northern Japan.

Sarah West, an avid photographer with more than eight years of experience focusing on nature, travel, and celestial events, shared her renewed passion for lunar photography following the eclipse:

“I’ve been an avid photographer for over 8 years now, focusing a lot on nature, travel, the moon, and other celestial events,” West said. “After traveling a lot this past year and delving into lifestyle photography for the past six months, I had taken a step back from capturing the moon frequently until recently. This eclipse reminded me why I love it so much. Being able to capture such detail that we wouldn’t otherwise see with our naked eye while just looking up at it is such a passion of mine. I love documenting things like this for others to see the extraordinary detail of the incredible universe we are a part of. It’s truly so breathtaking”

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth comes directly between the Sun and the Moon, causing Earth’s shadow to fall upon the lunar surface. During such an event, the Moon can appear red or reddish-brown–a phenomenon that has led to the term “Blood Moon.” This coloration is due to Rayleigh scattering, where shorter wavelengths of light (blue and green) are scattered out by Earth’s atmosphere, while longer wavelengths (red and orange) pass through and are refracted onto the Moon’s surface. There was no need for eclipse glasses or any special equipment to view last week’s blood moon. .

According to the Associated Press, civilizations have viewed and interpreted lunar eclipses for thousands of years. Ancient people knew more about the celestial bodies than we give them credit for, said historian Zoe Ortiz.

“They were looking at the night sky and they had a much brighter vision than we do today,” said Ortiz with the University of North Texas.

Aristotle noticed that the shadow the Earth cast on the moon during a lunar eclipse was always curved, observations proving that the Earth is round.

And a civilization in ancient Mesopotamia saw the blood red moon as a bad omen for the king. The people installed a substitute king on the throne around the time of the eclipse to protect their ruler from any bad will.

“If there’s ever a movie plot,” said Ortiz, “that’s the one.”

The next total lunar eclipse is anticipated in March 2026.