Lunar Eclipse Picture

Eclipse Over Sweden

Photograph by Peter Rosén

While the April 25 partial lunar eclipse was one of the smallest and shallowest in decades, it still produced some spectacular photographic opportunities. Peter Rosén captured the full moon during mid-eclipse posing next to the double-steeple church Högalid in central Stockholm, Sweden.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth, and moon align. During total lunar eclipses, the entire moon is engulfed in Earth's darkest shadow. But during partial eclipses, like last week's, the moon never completely goes dark or turns red—only a portion of its disk appears to go dim. (Related: "‘Rare' Lunar Eclipse Wednesday—Longest in a Decade.")

Keen-eyed skywatchers saw a tiny (less than two percent) sliver of the moon slip into the Earth's darkest shadow for less than half an hour—making this the shortest lunar disappearing act until 2034.

The entire eclipse event was visible across half the globe—throughout the Indian Ocean, Central Asia, western Australia, Africa, and Europe. (Related video: "Moon 101.")

—Andrew Fazekas

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/