A total lunar eclipse delighted stargazers overnight last Sunday 7-8 sept. 2025 with a spectacular display of orbital mechanics that briefly turned Earth's natural satellite blood red. This was my first time I really experienced it with my own eyes, here in Copenhagen, and boy that was beautiful. 

This week's total lunar eclipse graced the night sky as Earth drifted between the moon and sun, Blood Moon happens when Earth's shadow completely covers the full moon, filtering sunlight through our atmosphere and turning the moon surface deep red or coppery brown. Because the moon's orbit is slightly tilted, most full moons don't line up perfectly. But when they do, the result is a striking blood moon eclipse, a phenomenon that has fascinated skywatchers for centuries.

They said in the news, that over seven billion people had a direct line of sight as Earth's shadow swept over the moons disk, allowing photographers across western Australia, Asia, Africa and Europe to capture the distinct phases of the eclipse in exquisite detail.

1- Angelos Tzortzinis artfully lined up his shot to position the blood moon above the statue of the ancient goddess Irene in central Athens, Greece, to make it appear as if the deity was gently brushing the lunar disk with her right hand, while holding a child in the other.

2- Shen Jungfeng captured this image from the city of JiuJiang, China, highlights the shadowed expanses of all of the dark lunar seas combined, as they stretch across the moon's surface above the pointed roof of a striking building lit by warm yellow light.

3- This composition positions the blood moon atop Tokyo's famous Skytree tower in Japan, giving the impression that the lunar disk is a red orb fixed to the top of a metal staff.

4- This composite image created by Tomohiro Oshumi shows the phases of the lunar eclipse leading up to totality, as seen from Tokyo, Japan as the orbital ballet unfolded on Sept. 7-8

5- Yang Bo captures the sky over Nanjing, China during totality, creating the illusion that the blood moon is being grasped in the claw of a vast stone dragon.

6- Blood Moon by the Stonehenge

7- Blood moon over Baghdad

8- Blood moon over Berlin 

9- Blood moon over Sydney

10- Blood moon over the Pyramids in Cairo

By the way, not all lunar eclipses create a blood moon. If Earth only partially blocks the sun, the darkest part of its shadow covers part of the moon's surface, creating a partial lunar eclipse; it looks as though a dark bite has been taken out of the moon. Sometimes the moon passes through the lighter outer shadow, known as the penumbra, causing a penumbral eclipse that is so subtle that only experienced skywatchers notice the faint dimming.

The exact shade of a blood moon can vary depending on atmospheric conditions. Volcanic ash, wildfire smoke, dust, or pollution can make it appear darker or more intense. According to NASA, two to four lunar eclipses occur each year, and each can be seen from roughly half the planet. While planets and moons across the solar system cast shadows, only Earth produces lunar eclipses that completely cover its moon — a cosmic alignment that won’t last forever, as the moon is slowly drifting away by about 1.6 inches (4 centimeters) each year.

While there are planets and moons all over the solar system, only Earth is lucky enough to experience lunar eclipses because its shadow is just large enough to cover the moon completely.

Some ancient cultures didn't understand why the moon turned red, causing fear. At least one explorer — Christopher Columbus — used this to his advantage in 1504. Columbus and his crew were stranded on an island now known as Jamaica. At first the Arawak people who lived there were welcoming, but over time, Columbus' crew grew restless and murdered or robbed some of the indigenous people. Understandably, the indigenous people weren't eager to help the crew search for food, and Columbus realized famine was drawing near.

Columbus had an almanac with him foretelling when the next lunar eclipse would take place. Armed with this information, he told the Arawak that the Christian god was unhappy that Columbus and his crew received no food. God would turn the moon red as a symbol of his anger, Columbus said. As the event took place, frightened people "with great howling and lamentation came running from every direction to the ships laden with provisions, praying to the Admiral to intercede with his god on their behalf," according to an account by Columbus' son Ferdinand.

My trip to the beach in Copenhagen last Sunday to capture a BloodMoon Eclips picture. I gueass have the city had the same idea :-) and we were all waiting, and it took a long time before over eyes captured something redish in the sky.

During this celestial event, skywatchers can see the moon gradually shift from its usual bright gray to shades of deep red, orange and even copper. For a short time, the entire lunar surface glows with these eerie colors before slowly fading back to its normal appearance as it exits Earth's shadow.

So why does the moon turn red during a total lunar eclipse? The answer lies in the way Earth's atmosphere bends and filters sunlight, scattering blue light while allowing red and orange wavelengths to reach the moon.

Only during a total lunar eclipse does the surface of the moon look very obviously red to the human eye. That's because the entire moon enters the umbra. According to the National Weather Service, totality during a total lunar eclipse lasts from about 30 minutes to over an hour. Only when the full moon fully enters Earth's umbra does the lunar surface turn red. That's because the umbra completely blocks direct sunlight from falling onto the moon.
 

By the way, I think it was a very hard task, and my pictures good be better with a larger zoom. I had with me, my Soby @6000 with a 200 mm zoom, and my Samsung S24 Ultra. And here is a nice night picture over Amager beach in Copenhagen :-)