The Earth casts a shadow over the moon during a partial lunar eclipse that is observed Saturday, June 26, 2010, in Yogyakarta, Central Java, Indonesia.(AP Photo/Slamet Riyadi)
(AP) -- Skygazers got a treat Saturday when a portion of the moon crossed into the Earth's shadow during a partial lunar eclipse visible in the western United States and Canada, the Pacific and eastern Asia.
NASA says that the eclipse occurred in the pre-dawn hours on the West Coast. It began at 3:17 a.m. PDT and ended about three hours later.
During a lunar eclipse, the Earth blocks out some of the sun's rays that would normally reach the moon. Slightly more than half of the moon's surface was shaded at the eclipse's peak, according to NASA's web site.
Saturday's partial eclipse was a preview to the total lunar eclipse in December that will be visible throughout North America.
More information: NASA eclipse page: http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov
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