Did you see the lunar eclipse Wednesday morning? Check out these stunning images and find out why it gets the nickname 'blood moon.' VPC
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For anyone in the right place at the right time Wednesday, a total lunar eclipse that produced a gorgeous "blood moon" was a treat indeed.
In Australia, a prime viewing spot, whoops of joy went up at the Sydney Observatory as the moon made a brief appearance.
"Very spectacular," Sydney Observatory astronomer Geoff Wyatt said. "The cloud certainly got in the way, but we've seen it during totality and of course that's always the highlight — to see that lovely, reddish-brown color."
In China, not so much. Amateur astronomers were stymied by a choking blanket of air pollution covered Beijing and at least five nearby provinces.
USA TODAY
Reader photos: 'Blood' moon rising
Gallery: A look at the 'blood moon'
epa04436946 A Jakarta Planetarium and Observatory narrator,
Jakarta Planetarium and Observatory narrator Cecep Nurwendaya explains the phases of a total lunar eclipse and the so-called blood moon during an Oct. 8 press conference in Indonesia. (Photo: Bagus Indahono, European Pressphoto Agency)
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  • epa04436946 A Jakarta Planetarium and Observatory narrator,
  • A blood moon rises over Murrells Inlet, S.C.
  • A lunar eclipse dips beneath the Sunsphere in Knoxville,
  • A blood moon rises above the trees in Stuarts Draft,
  • epa04437056 The moon is seen glowing red as its rise
  • epa04436952 A Jakarta Planetarium and Observatory officer,
  • A reader sent a photograph of a red moon over Haddon
  • A lunar eclipse appears behind a hospital's water tower
  • A woman takes a photograph of the lunar eclipse on
  • A total lunar eclipse is seen behind a ferris wheel
  • A lunar eclipse appears behind a gargoyle atop the
  • The moon appears to be to have an orange-red hue as
  • American flags blow in the breeze around the Washington
  • A reader submitted image of today's Blood Moon.
  • A reader in Denver, Colo., sent this image of the eclipse.
  • A reader submitted this image of a Blood Moon,
  • A lunar eclipse dips down behind the Wheeler Town Clock
  • epa04436884 The Moon is seen glowing red during a total
  • WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 08: A commercial Airliner
  • WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 08: The earth's shadow starts
  • WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 08: The earth's shadow covers
  • A lunar eclipse is seen near a statue entitled "Enlightenment
  • The Earth's shadow renders the moon as a person in
  • Samaritans take part in the celebrations marking the
  • The Earth's shadow begins to fall on the moon during
  • The Blood Moon, created by the full moon passing into
  • GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - OCTOBER 07: The moon rises behind
  • A full moon is seen over the ruins of Luxor Temple
  • An unusually brilliant moon rises over Mexico City's
  • A fan takes a photo of the full moon in the third inning
  • A passenger airliner crosses the full moon, also known
In North America, viewers in the Midwest and West Coast got a longer glimpse of the "blood moon" phenomenon, which occurs during a total eclipse when the sun's rays — largely blocked by the earth — are refracted in the earth's atmosphere and cast a red glow on the lunar surface.
It occurs as the moon is setting and the sun rising. On the East Coast, the timing Wednesday cut it a bit close, with the setting moon quickly disappearing after the total eclipse.
Farther west, viewers were able to see the rising sun and the partially eclipsed moon in the sky at the same time. Hawaii, the Pacific, Australia, Japan and far eastern Asia got a spectacular view of the entire eclipse and the rust-colored moon.
While parts of China had to fight the pollution, at least some Chinese residents had a shot at it. Europe, the Mideast and Africa were stuck on the wrong side of the world and shut out completely.
Except on the Internet, where everyone was in the right place at the right time all night.
A lunar eclipse created a majestic 'blood moon' that could be seen from coast to coast in the USA early Wednesday morning where there were clear skies. Watch the whole eclipse in less than a minute in this time-lapsed video. VPC
Calum MacLeod reported from Beijing; Doug Stanglin from McLean, Va. Contributing: Associated Press