‘Blood moon’ eclipse seen in Asia, Hawaii and Americas
The moon glows an orange hue during a total lunar eclipse Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014, as seen from Bicutan, Paranaque city, east of Manila, Philippines. Wednesday's eclipse was the second in a series of four total lunar eclipses that occur in six-month intervals and known as a "lunar tetrad." (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
A lunar eclipse appears above the Basilica of St. Adalbert in Grand Rapids, Mich. early Wednesday morning, Oct. 8, 2014. The moon appears orange or red as it reflects the suns color in the Earth's atmosphere. This is known as the blood moon. (AP Photo/The Grand Rapids Press, Chris Clark) ALL LOCAL TELEVISION OUT; LOCAL TELEVISION INTERNET OUT
A lunar eclipse appears above City Park in Casper, Wyo. in the early hours of Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014. The moon appears orange or red, the result of sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere. This is known as the blood moon. (AP Photo/The Casper Star-Tribune, Dan Cepeda)
The Earth's shadow is cast over the moon during a total lunar eclipse near the "Enlightenment Giving Power" statue by John Gelert, which sits at the top of the dome of the Bergen County Courthouse in Hackensack, N.J., Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A lunar eclipse appears above Grand Haven State Park Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014 in Grand Rapids, Mich. The moon appears orange or red as it reflects the suns color in the Earth's atmosphere. This is known as the blood moon. (AP Photo/The Grand Rapids Press, Cory Morse) ALL LOCAL TELEVISION OUT; LOCAL TELEVISION INTERNET OUT
In this trio of images, the stages of the total lunar eclipse are visible in Baton Rouge on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014. The red hue results from sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere, in what is known as a "blood moon." (AP Photo/The Advocate, Hilary Scheinuk) MAGS OUT; INTERNET OUT; NO SALES; TV OUT; NO FORNS; LOUISIANA BUSINESS INC. OUT (INCLUDING GREATER BATON ROUGE BUSINESS REPORT, 225, 10/12, INREGISTER, LBI CUSTOM); MANDATORY CREDIT
A lunar eclipse appears behind a gargoyle atop the old red Dallas County Courthouse early Wednesday morning, Oct. 8, 2014. The moon appears orange or red, the result of sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere. This is known as the blood moon. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Tom Fox) MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET USE BY AP MEMBERS ONLY; NO SALES
TOKYO >> Evening viewers in much of Asia, Hawaii and early risers in parts of the Americas were treated to a stunning lunar eclipse on Wednesday, though clouds obscured it for some.
Lucky ones saw the moon turn orange or red in what is known as a "blood moon." The hue results from sunlight scattering off Earth’s atmosphere.
Whoops of joy erupted at the Sydney Observatory in Australia as the moon made a brief appearance.
"Very spectacular," observatory astronomer Geoff Wyatt said. "The cloud certainly got in the way, but we’ve seen it during totality and of course that’s always the highlight — to see that lovely, reddish-brown color."
In Australia’s capital, Canberra, Rachel Buckley watched from her driveway.
"It looked small, but very, very clear and really orange, I thought — blood orange," she said. "It was quite exciting, pretty amazing to see . because it’s not very often you get to see that."
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In Japan, clear skies turned partly cloudy as the eclipse progressed, but some people who gathered on the rooftops of skyscrapers in Tokyo saw the moon turn a rusty brown when the clouds cleared.
"When the sun, moon and earth align, I get the feeling that we are also a part of the solar system," Yoshiko Yoneyama, a 66-year-old homemaker, said. "It’s that kind of feeling."
In Hawaii, the eclipse began at 11:14 p.m. Tuesday and reached totality at 12:25 a.m. Wednesday, ending at 1:24 a.m. The second partial phase of the eclipse continued until 2:34 a.m.
