Blood Moon: Lunar Eclipse Seen Across America

The moon has turned red in the skies above North and South America at the start of a rare series of lunar eclipses some fear signals the end of the world.

The so-called 'blood moon', which occurs when the Earth's shadow passes over the moon, will be repeated three times this year and next.

The phenomenon, known as a tetrad, will not happen again until 2032.

Previous tetrads have coincided with significant religious events and the current series of 'blood moons' aligns with a number of Jewish holidays.

Some Christians are worried the event could have catastrophic consequences, referring to a passage in the Bible that states: "The Sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord comes."

Astronomers in North and South America were able to see the 'blood moon' for about 80 minutes, with Earth's celestial neighbour in at least a partial eclipse phase for three hours and 30 minutes.

However, skywatchers in most of Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia were out of luck because the event happened after moonset.

The second blood moon of the year will occur on October 8, with the tetrad's remaining two expected on April 4 and September 28, 2015.