Partial lunar eclipse turns moon red across the Americas
A near-total partial lunar eclipse, visible across the Americas and parts of Europe, turned the moon a deep reddish colour.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A partial lunar eclipse has been visible across the Americas and parts of Europe, with skywatchers treated to a dramatic reddish moon. The event, which reached its peak on Tuesday night, saw the Earth's shadow cover most of the lunar surface, giving the moon a coppery hue.
The eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon line up in the night sky. As the Moon passes through the Earth's darkest shadow, only sunlight filtered through the Earth's atmosphere reaches it. That light is scattered, with red wavelengths bending most, which explains the deep red or 'blood moon' appearance.
According to BBC News, at its peak, around 93 to 96 per cent of the moon was covered by the Earth's shadow. Views from Madrid and San Diego showed the moon glowing a striking red, though the effect was more pronounced in some locations. The full moon, known as the sturgeon moon, was visible without any special equipment, and unlike a solar eclipse, it is completely safe to look at directly.
This eclipse comes just a few weeks after a solar eclipse, which was visible in parts of North America. The two events often occur in pairs, with this lunar eclipse serving as the bookend to the earlier solar one. However, the spectacle was not visible from Asia, Australia, New Zealand, or East Africa, where it was daytime.
5 News reported that North and South America enjoyed the best views of the eclipse. The channel described the moon turning a deep reddish colour as the Earth's shadow passed over its surface. The brief report noted the event as a stunning celestial show for stargazers around the world.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC News | BBC One |
|---|---|---|---|
| The eclipse covered 93 to 96 percent of the moon. | |||
| The eclipse was not visible in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, or East Africa because it was daytime there. | · | · | |
| The eclipse was safe to view with the naked eye. | · | · | |
| The moon's red colour is caused by sunlight filtered through Earth's atmosphere. | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC News gave a detailed, explanatory report, focusing on the science behind the eclipse. It mentioned the specific coverage percentage, the mechanism of the red colour, and practical details such as safety and the pairing with the earlier solar eclipse. The tone was informative and slightly poetic, describing the moon as 'glowing at an eerie red colour'.
- “It is an almost total eclipse of the moon, around 93 to 96% of the moon, currently being covered up by the earth's darkest shadow.”
- “The reason you have that dusty copper red colour is because the only sunlight reaching the moon is filtered through the earth's atmosphere.”
- “You don't need any special glasses to look at this one, completely safe to look at this with your naked eye.”
5 News gave a very brief, straight news summary of the eclipse, focusing on its visual impact and the regions with the best views. The report was concise and did not delve into scientific explanation. It also treated the eclipse as one of several stories in the bulletin, with no additional context or detail.
- “stargazers across the world have been treated to a stunning partial lunar eclipse”
- “North and South America enjoyed the best view of the spectacle as the Earth's shadow passed over the surface of the full moon, turning it a deep reddish colour.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.