Total Lunar Eclipse Came With Supermoon Bonus

The only total lunar eclipse this year and next came with a supermoon bonus. On Sunday night, the moon, Earth, and sun lined up to create the eclipse, which was visible throughout North and South America where skies were clear. There won't be another until the year 2021. It was also the year's first supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position to the Earth, the AP reports. The entire eclipse took more than three hours. Totality—when the moon is completely bathed in Earth's shadow—lasted an hour. During a total lunar eclipse, the eclipsed, or blood, moon turns red from sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere. In addition to the Americas, the entire lunar extravaganza could be observed, weather permitting, all the way across the Atlantic to parts of Europe. (A blood moon last year was visible from only one spot in North America.)