Residents of Lisbon and several other parts of the world looked to the skies early Friday as the Moon passed through Earth’s shadow in a near-total lunar eclipse.
The celestial event began over the Americas on Thursday night, with up to 96 per cent of the Moon’s surface obscured as it moved through Earth’s shadow.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth moves directly between the Sun and the Moon, causing the planet’s shadow to fall across the lunar surface and temporarily darken it.
The spectacle came about two weeks after a total solar eclipse was visible across parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain.
Solar and lunar eclipses often occur in pairs because the Sun, Earth and Moon become aligned closely enough for one celestial body to block the light reaching another.
The unusual apparent similarity in size between the Sun and Moon is also a striking feature of such events. Although the Sun is roughly 400 times wider than the Moon, it is also about 400 times farther from Earth, making the two objects appear almost the same size in the sky.
Friday’s lunar eclipse was visible from large parts of North and South America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, offering millions of skywatchers an opportunity to witness the rare astronomical event.
