During the eclipse, the Earth passed between the sun and moon, blocking light from hitting the lunar surface, making the moon darker than usual. The moon turned a red hue, becoming a “blood moon,” due to the sunlight passing through Earth’s atmosphere before reaching its surface.

The rare Blood Moon total lunar eclipse started lighting up the sky late Thursday with a bright full Moon. Why it matters: It's the only lunar eclipse visible from the U.S. this year and the first total lunar eclipse since November 2022.

A rare blood moon lunar eclipse — which hasn’t happened in the U.S. since 2022 — was visible for skywatchers across most of North and South America, as well as the west side of Africa and Europe, the eastern parts of Australia and Russia and northern Japan.