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Stunning images of the 'super blue blood moon' from around the world

On Wednesday, there was a total lunar eclipse during the second full moon of a calendar month, which occurred at the closest point in the moon's orbit.

On Wednesday, for the first time in over 150 years, people around the world caught a glimpse of a "super blue blood moon."

The term refers to three lunar events that happened at once: a full moon at the point in its orbit closest to Earth, the second full moon of a calendar month, and a total lunar eclipse.

A total lunar eclipse is known as a blood moon because the Earth's shadow gives the moon a reddish hue. The second full moon in a calendar month is referred to as a blue moon. And a supermoon is another name for the full moon at the point in its orbit closest to Earth.

That's a blood moon, a blue moon, and a supermoon all at the same time.

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Moon gazers came out in droves around the world to watch the event, and many of their pictures are breathtaking.

Here's how the moon looked from Hong Kong to San Diego.

Astronomy enthusiasts around the world — including this group at the Beijing Planetarium — gathered with telescopes in anticipation of the lunar event.

In Beijing, the full lunar eclipse was visible at night, after moonrise.

In Beijing's Tiananmen Square, the full moon could be seen between British and Chinese flags. (British Prime Minister Theresa May is visiting China.)

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During a lunar eclipse, the moon transitions into partial shadow (called penumbra) before going into full shadow (umbra), then back into penumbra.

The reddish color is caused by the way Earth's atmosphere bends the sun's light. The lucky parts of the world that got to see that full effect included Hong Kong ...

... St. Petersburg, Russia ...

... Jakarta, Indonesia ...

... and Tokyo, Japan.

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New Yorkers got only a partial view of the lunar eclipse, as the full effect occurred after sunrise on the US's East Coast.

The western US, however, got a better show. The super blue blood moon looked especially red in Oceanside, California.

In this shot, the eclipse is almost complete over Southern California.

While it's not easy to take pictures of this kind of event with smartphone cameras, photographers and astronomers used telephoto lenses and tripods to capture some dramatic shots, like this one in San Diego.

In this image from Singapore, the reddish eclipsed moon, at bottom right, is contrasted against the pink lights of a Ferris wheel.

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While supermoons and blue moons are both fairly common, this rare alignment of three events was a treat for those who took the time to look up.

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