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PHOTOS: 'Super blood wolf moon' lights up the sky

January 21, 2019 13:26 IST

In an unusual set of celestial circumstances, skywatchers in Europe, Africa and America witnessed a 'super blood wolf Moon'.

The rare celestial event takes places when the moon is positioned slightly closer to the Earth than normal, and appears slightly bigger and brighter than normal -- a phenomenon called a 'super moon'.

This time the moon was about 358,000 kilometers away from the earth.

Other monikers include a 'wolf moon', a traditional way of coining an eclipse in the month of January, when wolves used to howl in hunger outside villages and a 'blood moon' because of its rusty, red color. Hence the name for this year's event: a 'super blood wolf moon.'

 

However, this magnificent event wasn't visible in India.

As there won't be another total lunar eclipse until 2021, here are some of the images from around the world.

A 'super blood wolf moon' is seen from Bogota, Colombia. Photograph: Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters

The moon, earth and sun lined up to create the eclipse. Here is the moon seen during a total lunar eclipse behind the gothic cathedral in Cologne, Germany. Photograph: Thilo Schmuelgen/Reuters

The 'super blood wolf moon' is seen behind an Orthodox church in the village of Turets, Belarus. Photograph: Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters

This view is from Nice, France. Photograph: Eric Gaillard/Reuters

People monitor the moon during a total lunar eclipse in Vienna, Austria. Photograph: Lisi Niesner/Reuters