Early risers had an opportunity to bask in the crimson glow of the blood moon this morning.
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The total lunar eclipse was visible across New Zealand as the moon passed through Earth's shadow. Otago Museum director Ian Griffin described the breathtaking scene.
"I've been up since about three o'clock on Monday morning and I'm standing in the middle of my paddock in Middlemarch and watching the moon set, it's very beautiful," he told RNZ's First Up.
"It's been a fantastic eclipse, and what's special about this is the moon is fading as the sun rises, so you're getting these amazing colours - the blue sky and the red colour of the moon all over the hills.
He explained the red hue was caused by the ring of sunsets around the world scattering light.
"During a lunar eclipse the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon and cuts off the sunlight to the moon," he said.
"So if you were an astronaut on the moon right now you would be seeing all of the sunsets on Earth with this beautiful red ring around the Earth, and that's why we're seeing this red colour on the moon."
The eclipse could be seen across other parts of the world.
Griffin said astronomy fans had more to look forward to this month.
"There's another eclipse of the sun in a couple of weeks at sunrise on the 22nd of September, I'm very excited about that one because the sun will be rising half-eclipsed over the southern ocean, so that will be very exciting to watch," he said.
The next blood moon, visible from New Zealand, will be late in the evening on March 3, 2026.
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