Total lunar eclipse: the moment the moon went completely dark

The moon began to be submerged into darkness over the States as the suns lights could no longer reach it as it passed behind the shadow of the Earth. The event began when the moon began

entering its umbral stage at 3.48am PT - where the moon starts moving into the Earth’s shadow - and reach totality at 4.51am.  The totality lasted 1 hour and 14 minutes, ending at 6.05am,

leaving plenty of time to take in the breathtaking views.  Following the lunar eclipse, a blood moon began to rise over the States, with the best views coming in the west of the country.

WATCH: TIMELAPSE OF THE SUPER BLUE BLOOD MOON This is because the light from sun hits Earth’s atmosphere which then is bent and refracted onto the moon, giving it a red twinge. NASA

explained on its website: “A total lunar eclipse happens when the whole moon enters Earth's shadow.  “Some sunlight still reaches the moon, but first it goes through Earth's

atmosphere.  NASA TV The view during the totality lunar eclipse “The atmosphere filters out most of the sun’s blue light, so the moon looks red. The lunar eclipse is not so rare, but the

fact that it is a supermoon and a blue moon makes this a once-per-150 year phenomenon. The last time there was a super blue blood moon eclipse was 150 years ago in 1866, when Andrew Johnson

was serving as the President of the United States following Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. It is also given the name blue moon – which is the technical term given to a total lunar eclipse

that involves the second full moon in a month. The first full moon took place in the first few days of 2018.