This dazzling image of the recent eclipse is a real stunner. (Andrew McCarthy)
A lunar eclipse is always a really cool event to witness. This is when the Earth moves in between the Sun and the Moon, which temporarily blocks sunlight from hitting the Moon.
Especially cool are total lunar eclipses—where the Earth completely blocks all of the sunlight. It is such a wild sight to watch the Moon go from brilliant to dull and hazy, then back again.
Of course, this also tends to happen at night, making it a difficult thing to view in person unless you are quite the night owl.
Mind you, when a special lunar eclipse happened last Tuesday, more than a few people were willing to stay up late or get up early. That's because not only was this going to be the last total lunar eclipse until March 2025(!), it was also going to be a rare phenomenon known as a Blood Moon. This is when the way in which the Earth blocks the light casts an eerie red glow across the Moon. Cool!
If you saw it, you know what we're talking about. And if you missed, you're in luck! That's because an astrophotographer named Andrew McCarthy took some shots and wow are they ever something.
Look!
My finished shot from this morning's total lunar eclipse. This image was captured by using two telescopes, one to capture intricate detail on the lunar surface, and one to capture the rich tones cast by Earth's shadow across the disc. Go ahead, zoom in on it! pic.twitter.com/XpXcqihiId
— Andrew McCarthy (@AJamesMcCarthy) November 8, 2022
Putting it all together
As McCarthy explained in his Twitter caption, his impressive shot of the Blood Moon was created by combining two different images of the Moon at once. This allows us to see an almost surreal level of detail and texture.
He also did a composite image, or multi-image, of the Blood Moon that shows many different stages of the eclipse as the Moon travelled across the night sky.
A composite image from this morning's eclipse showing the moon in various stages throughout the night. The size and shape of Earth's shadow is clearly visible here. These events are absolutely magical to witness and quite surreal. pic.twitter.com/mbakrEyCYl
— Andrew McCarthy (@AJamesMcCarthy) November 8, 2022
Being able to see the overall size and shape of the Earth's shadow across the Moon's path is, well, totally amazing! Can you see it? Yep, that's our planet!
So if you did miss the eclipse and are a little sad that you have to wait so long for the next chance, take heart. You'll always have these photos to enjoy in the mean time. As well as a reminder of why it would so cool to experience it in person next time around.
Eclipses are awesome!
