‘Blood moon’ lights the skies of Israel

A total lunar eclipse was observed across Israel on Sunday night around 9:12 p.m. local time.

Billions of people in Asia, Europe, Africa and Australia could view the rare event, also known as a “blood moon,” when the Earth blocks the sun’s light.

The moon turned a ruddy color due to the red wavelengths of the sun’s rays managing to travel through the Earth’s atmosphere and refract into the shadow of the Earth’s satellite, while the blue light is filtered out.

The eclipse in Israel began at 6:28 p.m., when the moon entered the Earth’s partial shadow, before the moon could be seen in the darkening skies, according to Ynet.

At 7:27 p.m., the Earth’s shadow on the moon was fully visible across the Jewish state, and around 8:30 p.m., the total lunar eclipse commenced.

The peak of the eclipse was seen at 9:12 p.m. The total eclipse lasted until 9:52 p.m.

The “blood moon” spectacle typically takes place every couple of years, though the exact location it can be seen from Earth varies.

This year, a total eclipse occurred twice: once in March and the second on Sept. 7.