Today's "Blood Moon" total lunar eclipse captivated viewers worldwide, with stunning photos capturing the moon's striking red hue as it passed through Earth's shadow.
On March 13-14, 2025, a captivating total lunar eclipse took place, marking the first of its kind since 2022. The event was visible across North and South America, offering some of the best views until 2029, with observers in the eastern half of the continent catching a glimpse mostly after midnight, while those in the western regions enjoyed a more convenient view in the evening hours.
As the moon passed through Earth's shadow, it gradually dimmed before transforming into a striking copper-red orb in the night sky. The eclipse unfolded as the moon glided through the northern half of Earth's umbra, the central shadow cast by our planet. This unique positioning caused the southern edge of the moon to darken more significantly, while its northern limb displayed lighter shades of pinkish-orange. The moon's eerie red hue during totality was caused by sunlight refracting through Earth’s atmosphere, scattering shorter blue and green wavelengths, and allowing longer red and orange wavelengths to illuminate the lunar surface—a phenomenon often referred to as a “blood moon.”
The Columbus Connection
What made this lunar eclipse even more remarkable was its alignment with a historic event. This eclipse closely mirrored a celestial scene witnessed on February 29-March 1, 1504, when Christopher Columbus used a blood moon to frighten indigenous Arawak people into cooperating with his crew. On that night, the "Columbus Eclipse" helped Columbus secure his survival during his fourth voyage to the Americas. The March 13-14, 2025, eclipse occurred exactly one hypersaros—a 521-year cycle in which lunar eclipses share similar characteristics—after the event in 1504. The moon during this eclipse was positioned near the same stars that formed the Spring Triangle, a celestial equilateral triangle made up of red supergiant stars Arcturus, Spica, and Denebola. The latter star appeared just above the moon, further amplifying the stunning visual effect.
Looking Ahead to Future Eclipses
While the 2025 eclipse was a spectacular show for viewers in the Americas, another total lunar eclipse is on the horizon. On September 7-8, 2025, the "Corn Moon" will turn red for 82 minutes, becoming the second blood moon of the year. This one will be best visible from Asia, while Europe will witness it at moonrise. For North Americans, the next total lunar eclipse won’t be until March 3-4, 2026, with the best views from Hawaii, Alaska, and the western U.S. and Canada. This eclipse will feature a shorter totality, lasting 58 minutes.
A total lunar eclipse occurs when Earth lies directly between the sun and a full moon, casting its shadow onto the lunar surface. During totality, only the sunlight that passes through Earth's atmosphere reaches the moon. This light is refracted and scattered, with the blue and green wavelengths getting filtered out, leaving behind the reddish glow that bathes the moon. NASA describes this moment as thousands of sunsets being projected onto the moon, a breathtaking phenomenon that captivates stargazers around the world.
Whether viewed as a celestial spectacle or a historical marker, this total lunar eclipse left a lasting impression, reminding us of the beauty and wonder of our night sky.
A new AnewZ documentary, 'Inside Shusha prison', highlights what is considered one of the most dreadful prisons during both the Russian Empire and the...
Kazakhstan’s main oil export corridor was disrupted by drone strikes near Russia’s Black Sea coast in July, forcing a temporary suspension of crud...
Iran and Italy have exchanged updates on talks over the Strait of Hormuz and negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, as Tehran says an agreement with...
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 5th of August, covering the latest developments.
U.S. President Donald Trump said there was an "all-day negotiation" on Tuesday with Iran, characterising the talks positively while also threatening to hit Iran "really hard" if a deal was not reached.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, two key maritime chokepoints in the region, decreased significantly from the previous day, according to shipping data.
Kazakhstan’s main oil export corridor was disrupted by drone strikes near Russia’s Black Sea coast in July, forcing a temporary suspension of crude loadings and raising fresh concerns over the vulnerability of regional energy infrastructure to the war in Ukraine.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 6th of August, covering the latest developments.
The UK government announced a new package of sanctions on Thursday (6 August) aimed at disrupting Russia's financial sector and oil exports, expanding pressure on Moscow more than four years after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) has approved Kyiv’s Resilience Plan for the autumn-winter season, aimed at strengthening the capital’s ability to withstand continued Russian attacks and ensuring the uninterrupted operation of critical services.
Extreme heat and historically low river levels are forcing nuclear power plants across southeast Europe to reduce output, increasing pressure on already strained electricity supplies and prompting governments to urge lower power consumption.
A powerful El Niño weather event could push nearly 49 million more people into acute food insecurity across some of the world's most vulnerable regions by the end of 2027, the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) has warned.
Ukraine has received only about one-third as many air-defence missile interceptors from its allies in 2026 as it did in 2025, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as intensified Russian attacks expose widening gaps in the country's air defences.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment