PHOTOS: Lunar eclipse in Asia and the Americas
Evening viewers in much of Asia and early risers in parts of the Americas were treated to a stunning lunar eclipse on Wednesday, though clouds obscured it for some.
Lucky ones saw the moon turn orange or red in what is known as a "blood moon." The hue results from sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere.
Whoops of joy erupted at the Sydney Observatory in Australia as the moon made a brief appearance.
"Very spectacular," 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 Australia's capital, Canberra, Rachel Buckley watched from her driveway.
"It looked small, but very, very clear and really orange, I thought—blood orange," she said. "It was quite exciting, pretty amazing to see . because it's not very often you get to see that."
In Japan, clear skies turned partly cloudy as the eclipse progressed, but some people who gathered on the rooftops of skyscrapers in Tokyo saw the moon turn a rusty brown when the clouds cleared.
"When the sun, moon and earth align, I get the feeling that we are also a part of the solar system," Yoshiko Yoneyama, a 66-year-old homemaker, said. "It's that kind of feeling."
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A lunar eclipse dips down behind the Wheeler Town Clock in Manitou Springs, Colo. early Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014. The moon appears orange or red, the result of sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere. This is known as the blood moon. (AP Photo/The Colorado Springs Gazette, Michael Ciaglo) -
The Earth's shadow begins to fall on the moon during a total lunar eclipse, as it goes behind a weathervane shaped like a Spanish galleon on the Freedom Tower, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014 in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) -
The moon's brightness slowly returns at the end of a Total Lunar Eclipse which is seen Wednesday, Oct.8, 2014 from Bicutan, Paranaque city, east of Manila, Philippines. Wednesday's eclipse was the second in a series of four total lunar eclipses that occur in six-month intervals and known as a "lunar tetrad."(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) -
A lunar eclipse is seen near a statue entitled "Enlightenment Giving Power" by John Gelert, which sits at the top of the dome of the Bergen County Courthouse in Hackensack, N.J.,Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) -
The Earth's shadow begins to fall on the moon during a total lunar eclipse, as seen above Miami, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) -
The Earth's shadow renders the moon during a total lunar eclipse over Milwaukee on late Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2014. The moon appears orange or red, the result of sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere. This is known as the blood moon. (AP Photo/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Mike De Sisti) -
A passenger airliner crosses the full moon, also known as the Hunter's Moon, a few hours prior to the beginning of a total lunar eclipse that will create an effect known as the Blood Moon, in Whittier, Ca., on Tuesday evening, Oct. 7, 2014. (AP Photo/ Nick Ut ) -
The Blood Moon, created by the full moon passing into the shadow of the earth during a total lunar eclipse, as seen from Monterey Park, Ca., on Wednesday morning, Oct. 8, 2014. (AP Photo/ Nick Ut ) -
The Moon is bathed in a red light during a lunar eclipse seen over Sydney, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014. The moon appears orange or red, the result of sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere.(AP Photo/Rick Rycroft) -
A lunar eclipse dips beneath the Sunsphere in Knoxville, Tenn. on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014. The moon appears orange or red, the result of sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere. This is known as the blood moon.(AP Photo/Knoxville News Sentinel, Adam Lau)
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