World Marvels at Longest ‘Blood Moon’ Eclipse Expected for a Century (PHOTOS)

Lunar enthusiasts across Africa and Eurasia were treated Friday night to a rare experience: the longest lunar eclipse expected for a century. Dubbed a “blood moon” for its reddish hue, the stunning beauty of the eclipsed moon has been captured by professional and amateur photographers alike.

A lunar eclipse happens when the moon passes through the Earth's shadow, meaning the two bodies are directly aligned with the Sun. That's the opposite of a solar eclipse, which happened late last year, when the moon goes directly between the sun and the Earth and casts a shadow across the Earth's surface.

A full moon rises over the Victoria Harbour during a complete lunar eclipse, in Hong Kong, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Skywatchers around much of the world are looking forward to a complete lunar eclipse that will be the longest this century.

© AP Photo / Kin Cheung

That kind of thing only happens rarely, National Geographic notes, because the moon orbits the Earth on a tilted angle. A lunar eclipse typically only happens twice a year.

The moon turns red during a total lunar eclipse, as seen from Dresden, Germany, Friday, July 27, 2018. Skywatchers around much of the world are looking forward to a complete lunar eclipse that will be the longest this century.

© AP Photo / Sebastian Kahnert

However, this one is extra-special, because it's the longest expected until the year 2127, lasting nearly four hours. That's because the moon is presently at is apogee, meaning it's the furthest from Earth it gets during its slightly elliptical orbit. The moon Friday night appeared 13 percent smaller than normal — a "minimoon," NatGeo noted — meaning it took a bit longer than normal to cross the sky.

A full moon sets over Petronas Twin Tower during a complete lunar eclipse in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Skywatchers around much of the world are looking forward to a complete lunar eclipse that will be the longest this century.

© AP Photo / Yam G-Jun

The shaded moon, which appears red because of dust particles in the atmosphere, was visible across Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and parts of South America, although only viewers in East Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Europe got to see the completely eclipsed moon; viewers outside that area got a partial view.

A blood moon rises over Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Skywatchers around much of the world are looking forward to a complete lunar eclipse that will be the longest this century. The so-called "blood moon" Friday, when it turns a deep red, will be visible at different times in Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe and South America when the sun, Earth and moon line up perfectly, casting Earth's shadow on the moon.

© AP Photo / Themba Hadebe

The blades from a wind turbine are silhouetted against the moon in the sky in Novogrudok, Belarus, during a total lunar eclipse on Saturday, July 28, 2018. Skywatchers around much of the world are looking forward to a complete lunar eclipse that will be the longest this century.

© Sergei Grits

By sheer coincidence, our neighboring planet of Mars is both the closest it'll get to Earth for a while right now, and also only 5 degrees separated from the moon in the night sky. That means you can view a red moon right next to the Red Planet!

Lunar eclipse: world marvels at the longest #BloodMoon of the century

Публикация от Sputnik (@sputnik_news) 28 Июл 2018 в 8:19 PDT

But we haven't just included professional photographs; regular folks from around the globe snapped pictures, too, and uploaded them on social media.

The Moon in full eclipse alongside the Milky Way and above Mars during tonight’s #LunarEclipse #BloodMoon @ProfBrianCox pic.twitter.com/ohuIHDgOlY

— Matt Robinson (@Astro_Matt27) July 27, 2018

Moon eclipse from Jerusalem the capital of Palestine 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/61XVXMgx5x

— Satar (@Satar_Gaza) July 27, 2018

“Blood moon” eclipse, as viewed today from Corsica: #AFP pic.twitter.com/ihPYIvRHDY

— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) July 27, 2018

O eclipse lunar mais longo do século também pode ser visto na Europa https://t.co/t1ttAAESnZ pic.twitter.com/TxzTgFcjTe

— Euronews Português (@euronewspt) July 27, 2018

​Some viewers didn't luck out with the weather, though.

As always spectacular view from Ireland 🇮🇪☹️ pic.twitter.com/ugS8RhBdQe

— Darren McHugh (@dandymac98) July 27, 2018

​​​Don't worry, if you missed the eclipse, one kind Portuguese Twitterer performed a dramatic reenactment for you, writing, "who missed the eclipse is not sad this one is better."

quem perdeu o eclipse não fica triste esse aqui é melhor pic.twitter.com/zOhZ4jwyK0

— gato miu (@wtfmiu) July 27, 2018