The total lunar eclipse of Thursday night and Friday morning brought a rare spectacle of splashing and light changing as the light from the moon took on a red, orange, or pink tint.
As our own Sophia Castro wrote about for The Tico Times:
Accompanying the crater-filled total lunar eclipse was a supermoon, another name for a full moon that is closer to Earth, which shines brighter than usual.
It was the first of two supermoons happening in July. The second will take place on Sept. 28.
Despite the whole celestial circus going on around us, some people struggled to get access to the spectacle.
When I tried to capture some stunning lunar eclipse highlights, the only spot I could see the scariest part of the eclipse. pic.twitter.com/fHDy2EImxI — Lost Planet Giant (@Willa2Rise) July 21, 2016
Other people for whom the moon doesn’t quite fill their hearts into a total eclipse… pic.twitter.com/8JPC3FjGc7 — George Will (@georgewill) July 21, 2016
Peaking over Mexico, the lunar eclipse was already five minutes long, with the moon a reddish orange. It was then almost completely eclipsed when the moon appeared to return to its usual white color, with the impressive blood-red colors that can only be seen in a total lunar eclipse quickly going away.
The total lunar eclipse was the first this century, and the second in a cycle of four consecutive total lunar eclipses. The next total lunar eclipse will occur next month.