Supermoon Lunar Eclipse 2015: Pictures From Around The World Of The ‘Blood Moon’

The supermoon phenomenon occurs when the moon is full at its perigee – the closest part of its orbit around Earth (226,000 miles), meaning it appears larger in the sky.

This was how it unfolded in the sky over London:

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This fantastic timelapse video has come in from Copenhagen – the supermoon rising over Øresund Bridge.

We have tracked the supermoon across the globe from Australia, to LA, to New York and then to lovely Norfolk.

The normal perigee full moon, or supermoon (L), and appearing red during a total lunar eclipse (R) over Wiesbaden, Germany  

Streatham, in south London:

 Essen, Germany

While sky-gazers in the UK had to stay up late to catch the blood moon, in South Africa they set their alarms early, and were rewarded:

While in Norfolk, this was the view:

Here’s a selection of more blood moon images from around the world:

The perigee full moon, or supermoon, appears red besides a spire in Cologne A supermoon, the last of this year’s supermoons, is pictured in the sky in Monterrey, Mexico

The moon, appearing in a dim red colour, is covered by the Earth’s shadow during a total lunar eclipse ove La Paz  

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AP reports from Los Angeles:

In Los Angeles, a large crowd filled the lawn of Griffith Observatory to watch the celestial show while listening to Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” played by 14-year-old pianist Ray Ushikubo.

“You always want to see the eclipse because they’re always very different,” said astronomer Edwin Krupp, the observatory’s director.

Mr Krupp said the additional component of the earth’s atmosphere adds “all kinds of twists and turns to the experience.”

And here’s AFP from Florida:

In Miami, sky-watchers had a nice view on a cloudless, warm night. People came out to Bayfront Park and other parts of downtown to watch it, taking many photographs.

The moon appeared in more of a copper rather than reddish tone, however.

The blood red moon over Glastonbury  

The partially eclipsed blood moon over Las Vegas  

And sky-watchers are a little bit excited:

In New York, Harriet Alexander reports:

In Manhattan, crowds are on the streets standing and staring at the sky.

I’m outside a Mexican cafe and the waiters have all poured out to look.

One man is explaining, in Spanish, the concept to his colleagues. Another is on the phone to his mother in Mexico: “Esta muy bonita,” he said.

A 4×4 has just driven slowly past the crowds, with the driver winding down his window to yell: “Eclipse! Yeah!”

Orangey-red in Arizona:

And the colours are very strong in this shot:

Here is a clearer eclipse shot, with a fairly big chunk of the moon now obscured:

Is it a streetlight? No, it’s Supermoon:

Elsewhere, in crystal clear skies, it is looking like this:

The Supermoon looks more like the sun in this image from Boston:

And this one from Rivington:

The Supermoon turns a beautiful pink in Dorset:

And glows bright yellow in Derbyshire:

A supermoon rises above Bolsover Castle, Derbyshire 

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Here are some more beautiful shots of the moon as it rises:

An astronomer is silhouetted in front of the supermoon in Brighton as he prepares for the lunar eclipse  

The supermoon rises into the sky over St Mary’s Lighthouse Whitley Bay North Tyneside 

The last of this year’s supermoons is seen behind an electricity pylon in Le Pallet, France