Explanation:
This dramatic image
features a dark red Moon during a total lunar eclipse -- celestial
shadow play enjoyed by
many
denizens of planet Earth last Saturday.
Recorded near Wildon, Austria, the picture is a composite
of two exposures; a relatively short exposure to feature
the lunar surface and a longer exposure to capture background
stars in the
constellation
Leo.
Completely immersed in Earth's cone-shaped shadow during the
total eclipse
phase, the lunar surface is still illuminated by
sunlight, reddened and
refracted into the dark shadow region
by a dusty atmosphere.
As a result, familiar details
of the Moon's nearside are easy
to pick out, including
the smooth lunar mare and the large ray
crater Tycho.
In this telescopic view, the background stars
are faint and most would be invisible to the naked eye.
