#SuperBloodMoon lights up night sky, social media
The supermoon eclipse put on a stunning show for millions of stargazers across the U.S. and other parts of the world Sunday night.
A little after 9 p.m. Eastern time, the full moon began disappearing into the shadow cast by the Earth, and by 10:11 p.m. EDT it was completely hidden in a total lunar eclipse.
Along the way, many saw the moon bathed in a reddish glow -- a so-called "blood moon" that results when the moon is hit by sunlight bent by the Earth's atmosphere.
It was the first time since 1982 that a total lunar eclipse has coincided with a supermoon -- a full moon that's at the closest point of its elliptical orbit to Earth, making it appear bigger and brighter than usual.
And in a development no one in 1982 could have predicted, this time the phenomenon had its own hashtag: #superbloodmoon
It's a total eclipse of the #superbloodmoon. Go outside + look up. Great photo? Share it here http://t.co/KuahaUPeOD pic.twitter.com/PLf19pWGbN
— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) September 28, 2015
Twitter feeds quickly filled up with photos of the glowing moon slipping into shadow:
Now this is a great shot of the #SuperBloodMoon #petertakesgrestpictures pic.twitter.com/ujUje3W1mr
— Kathy Walsh (@WalshCBS4) September 28, 2015
🎶If you get caught between the moon and New York City...🎶 -- choose #NYC 😉
#SuperBloodMoon pic.twitter.com/HU1qlRBOtK
— New York, New York! (@NYC) September 28, 2015
Cellphone cameras couldn't really do it justice.
Tonight is amazing. #SuperBloodMoon pic.twitter.com/MnjGqE6MTz
— Alex W. (@bluefootedtweet) September 28, 2015
Unfortunately, not everyone got the view they were hoping for. Parts of the South, Mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes were socked in by clouds and missed the show.
What you expect to see vs. What you actually see
#SuperBloodMoon pic.twitter.com/kKzsMcZEQR
— ♥︎ (@adoreshoran) September 28, 2015
The supermoon eclipse marked the end of a tetrad, a series of four total lunar eclipses each occurring about six months apart. This series began in April 2014.
Enjoy the pictures online -- you won't get another chance to see a supermoon eclipse in real life until 2033.