A rare celestial trifecta “super blue blood moon” was observed across China on Wednesday night, the first time the phenomenon has been seen in 152 years.
According to the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the full moon is special for three reasons: It’s the third in a series of “supermoons”, when the moon is closest to Earth in its orbit; It’s also the second full moon of the month, commonly known as a “blue moon”; While during a total lunar eclipse it will take on a reddish tint, known as a “blood moon”.
The lunar eclipse started at 19:48 Beijing local time, while the red moon appeared from 20:51 to 22:08, lasting for about one hour and 17 minutes before it gradually returned to normal and lit up the night sky again.
Astronomers said stargazers in China will have to wait for 19 years for the next opportunity to view a blood moon during a total lunar eclipse.
But there is good news ahead for astronomy enthusiasts, with the next lunar eclipse set to occur on July 28 this year. The last complete lunar eclipse occurred on September 28, 2015.
