Through the lens: Blood Moon

A combination photo shows (clockwise from top left) the moments during and after a total lunar eclipse, also known as a "blood moon", pictured from Encinitas, California. Photo: Reuters

Lunar eclipse occurs on a full moon day when the moon comes diametrically opposite the sun, as viewed from earth. The next eclipse of the year will be a partial solar eclipse on October 23.

The moon appears orange or red, the result of sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere. Photo: AP

Partial lunar eclipse seen in Chennai. Photo: V. Ganesan

A lunar eclipse dips down behind the Wheeler Town Clock in Manitou Springs, Colorado. Photo: AP

A seagull flies in front of a total lunar eclipse, also known as a "blood moon", in Sydney. Photo: Reuters

The total eclipse is the second of four over a two-year period that began April 15 and concludes on Sept. 28, 2015. Photo: Reuters

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, New Jersey. Photo: AP

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 in Miami. Photo: AP

The moon turns orange during a total lunar eclipse behind the CN Tower and the skyline during moonset in Toronto. Photo: Reuters

A lunar eclipse dips beneath the Sunsphere in Knoxville, Tennessee. Photo: AP

The Moon is bathed in a red light during a lunar eclipse seen over Tabira Cathedral in Hirado, southern Japan. Photo: AP