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Supermoon live: What time to see ‘super flower blood moon’ lunar eclipse and all the latest photos

‘Hawaii has the best seat in the house followed by California and the Pacific Northwest,’ says Nasa

Joe Sommerlad,Graeme Massie
Wednesday 26 May 2021 15:58 EDT
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Double lunar event: Super Blood Moon and lunar eclipse

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Night sky watchers across the world have been enjoying a “super flower blood moon”, a spectacular phenomenon caused by the May full moon coinciding with both the satellite being at its closest point to the Earth during its orbit - making it appear larger and brighter - and a lunar eclipse causing the moon to turn red as it drifts into our planet’s shadow.

The sight has made for extraordinary photographs from the Western United States to Sydney Harbour but, somewhat typically, amateur astronomers in the UK watching the skies from Stonehenge were left frustrated by heavy cloud cover obscuring their view.

While the supermoon is visible across the world, the partial eclipse will only be viewable in parts of the US, eastern Latin Americas and eastern regions of Russia and Asia, although it will be streamable in the UK this morning.

The most spectacular shots of the ‘Super Flower Blood Moon’ from across the world

What a night.

Here’s our collection of the best photographs from around the world of this most extraordinary of lunar events.

The spectacular ‘Super Flower Blood Moon’ in pictures

Rare lunar event captured by photographers from California and downtown Brasilia to the beaches of Sydney

Joe Sommerlad26 May 2021 16:50

Timelapse film captures eclipse over New York City

If you’re impatient about this kind of thing, here’s the essence of the whole thing over and done with in 11 seconds.

Joe Sommerlad26 May 2021 16:00

We have a winner

As we’ve seen, there is no shortage of fine pictures of this most photogenic of moons but how about this one from Brasilia?

Oof, I say.

The moon over Brasilia, Brazil, on Wednesday 26 May 2021
The moon over Brasilia, Brazil, on Wednesday 26 May 2021 (Eraldo Peres/AP)
Joe Sommerlad26 May 2021 15:20

The view from Asia

Here’s a couple more stunning photographs for you as night descends on the Far East, taken in Taiwan, Thailand and Hong Kong respectively.

The moon over Taipei, Taiwan, on Wednesday 26 May 2021
The moon over Taipei, Taiwan, on Wednesday 26 May 2021 (Sam Yeh/AFP/Getty)
The moon over Bangkok, Thailand, on Wednesday 26 May 2021
The moon over Bangkok, Thailand, on Wednesday 26 May 2021 (Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters)
The moon over Hong Kong on Wednesday 26 May 2021
The moon over Hong Kong on Wednesday 26 May 2021 (Peter Parks/AFP/Gettty)
Joe Sommerlad26 May 2021 14:40

Throwing a tortilla at the window is cheating

There are some beautiful shots still being posted to Twitter from last night in the US right now, capturing the moon at its brightest, from New York to Nashville.

But guys, come on, this one is fooling no one.

Joe Sommerlad26 May 2021 14:00

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Joe Sommerlad26 May 2021 13:25

Behold!

The mighty moon in eclipse. Remarkable.

The full moon is seen during the partial eclipse in Sydney on Wednesday 26 May 2021 as stargazers across the Pacific cast their eyes skyward to witness a rare ‘Super Blood Moon’
The full moon is seen during the partial eclipse in Sydney on Wednesday 26 May 2021 as stargazers across the Pacific cast their eyes skyward to witness a rare ‘Super Blood Moon’ (Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty)

But if that slender crescent isn’t exciting enough for you, check out this shot of the blood moon at its bloodiest from New Zealand.

The partial eclipse of the moon begins on Wednesday 26 May 2021 in Auckland, New Zealand
The partial eclipse of the moon begins on Wednesday 26 May 2021 in Auckland, New Zealand (Phil Walter/Getty)
Joe Sommerlad26 May 2021 12:40

Totality of lunar eclipse about to begin

The big moment is about to arrive, with moon expected to be in eclipse for around 15 minutes from 12.11pm (GMT) and achieve totality at 12.19pm.

Remember, you can stream Griffith Observatory’s live coverage from Los Angeles and Lowell Observatory’s broadcast from Arizona.

Here are the latest images of its progress, taken in Santa Monica, California, and Sydney, Australia, respectively.

Extraordinary.

The progression of the eclipse begins with a partial covering of the moon as seen in Santa Monica, California, on Wednesday 26 May 2021
The progression of the eclipse begins with a partial covering of the moon as seen in Santa Monica, California, on Wednesday 26 May 2021 (Frederic J Brown/AFP/Getty)
The progression of the eclipse begins with a partial covering of the moon as seen in Sydney, Australia, on Wednesday 26 May 2021
The progression of the eclipse begins with a partial covering of the moon as seen in Sydney, Australia, on Wednesday 26 May 2021 (Saeed/AFP/Getty)
Joe Sommerlad26 May 2021 12:05

The view from Europe

More pictures you say? Alrighty then.

This is how the supermoon looked over the Czech Republic, Russia, Spain and Turkey last night.

The full moon rising behind the of Basilica of St Peter and St Paul, part of Vysehrad Castle, in Prague, Czech Republic, on Tuesday 25 May 2021
The full moon rising behind the of Basilica of St Peter and St Paul, part of Vysehrad Castle, in Prague, Czech Republic, on Tuesday 25 May 2021 (Michal Cizek/AFP/Getty)
The moon rising behind the palm trees over the Mediterranean Sea, seen from Roca Llisa on the Spanish Island of Ibiza on Tuesday 25 May 2021
The moon rising behind the palm trees over the Mediterranean Sea, seen from Roca Llisa on the Spanish Island of Ibiza on Tuesday 25 May 2021 (David Gannon/AFP/Getty)
The full moon behind a cross on top of an orthodox church in the city of Rossosh in Voronezh, Russia, on Tuesday 25 May 2021
The full moon behind a cross on top of an orthodox church in the city of Rossosh in Voronezh, Russia, on Tuesday 25 May 2021 (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty)
The full moon seen over the mausoleum of modern Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in Ankara, Turkey, on 26 May 2021
The full moon seen over the mausoleum of modern Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in Ankara, Turkey, on 26 May 2021 (Cagla Gurdogan/Reuters)
Joe Sommerlad26 May 2021 11:40

The view from the Americas (and Australia)

As we await the totality of the lunar eclipse, here are some astonishing shots of the super moon from last night, taken in Brazil, Argentina and the United States.

The moon shines behind Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Wednesday 26 May 2021
The moon shines behind Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Wednesday 26 May 2021 (Pinar Olivares/Reuters)
The full moon between the two towers of the National Congress building in Brasilia, Brazil, on Tuesday 25 May 2021
The full moon between the two towers of the National Congress building in Brasilia, Brazil, on Tuesday 25 May 2021 (Joedson Alves/EPA)
The moon soars over the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as the Copa Libertadores match between River Plate and Fluminense gets underway
The moon soars over the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as the Copa Libertadores match between River Plate and Fluminense gets underway (Juan Mabromata/Reuters)
The moon peers through low clouds above the city of San Diego, California, on Tuesday 25 May 2021
The moon peers through low clouds above the city of San Diego, California, on Tuesday 25 May 2021 (Mike Blake/Reuters)
A man fishes in the Missouri River as the full moon rises beyond the skyline of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, on Tuesday 25 May 2021
A man fishes in the Missouri River as the full moon rises beyond the skyline of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, on Tuesday 25 May 2021 (Charlie Riedel/AP)

And here’s a couple of beauts from Sydney because why not?

The moon rises over Sydney Opera House in Australia on Wednesday 26 May 2021
The moon rises over Sydney Opera House in Australia on Wednesday 26 May 2021 (Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty)
A yacht sails on the horizon as the moon rises in Sydney on Wednesday 26 May 2021
A yacht sails on the horizon as the moon rises in Sydney on Wednesday 26 May 2021 (Mark Baker/AP)
Joe Sommerlad26 May 2021 11:00

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