Blood moon and lunar eclipse cast an ethereal light – in pictures

Visible from Australia, across Asia, to western Europe, a blood moon has been captivating stargazers. This marvel is caused when the Earth shades the moon from direct solar light, causing the moon to appear red

The blood moon is seen over the roof of Yongdingmen Gate, Beijing, China

Photograph: Maxim Shemetov/Reuters

A man adjusts a telescope to get a better look in Jakarta, Indonesia

Photograph: Willy Kurniawan/Reuters

The blood moon rises above the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia

Photograph: Maxim Shipenkov/EPA

The moon over the dome of the Russian Orthodox church Apostle Andrew in Episkopeio, Cyprus

Photograph: Yiannis Kourtoglou/Reuters

A crowd of viewers gather around a giant telescope at Tabiat Bridge in Tehran, Iran

Photograph: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images

Blood moon rising behind the statue of Athena in Athens, Greece

Photograph: Ayhan Mehmet/Anadolu/Getty Images

Photographers ready to capture the event over Yongdingmen Gate, Beijing, China

Photograph: Maxim Shemetov/Reuters

Partial lunar eclipse seen over the Thames and Greenwich, London

Photograph: Guy Corbishley/Alamy Live News

The moon behind the chariot at the top of the Triumphal Arch of the General Staff building in St Petersburg, Russia

Photograph: Olga Maltseva/AFP/Getty Images

A boy uses binoculars to observe the moon from a rooftop in Jakarta, Indonesia

Photograph: Willy Kurniawan/Reuters

The blood moon is pictured over Sydney, Australia.

Photograph: David Gray/AFP/Getty Images

The blood moon seen over the city centre of Prague, Czech Republic

Photograph: Martin Divíšek/EPA

A partial lunar eclipse peaks through the columns of the temple of Apollo at the ancient city of Side in Antalya, Turkey

Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images