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Armed with binoculars, and watching their watches closely, thousands of Spanish stargazers looked up at the sky on Sunday to catch a glimpse of an unusual lunar phenomenon.
But for many, hopes of experiencing a total lunar eclipse – known popularly as a Blood Moon – proved to be a damp squib as cloud cover spoiled the spectacle.
In Malaga, the situation was exacerbated by the arrival of a ‘calima’, the weather event where warm, dry air laden with fine dust and sand particles from the Sahara Desert drift north, aided by prevailing winds.
The fabled ‘calima’ – sometimes inadequately translated as ‘haze’ – reduces visibility, casting a reddish hue over Spanish skies that acts as a curtain, blocking any hopes of laying eyes on the Blood Moon.
Why is the sky orange in Spain? All you need to know about the ‘calima’ and ‘blood rain’ weather phenomenon
When the Sun, Earth, and Moon are perfectly aligned, they block sunlight from our only natural satellite.
As sunlight passes through Earth’s atmospheric layer, it scatters.
It is only red light that reaches the Moon.
And unlike a solar eclipse, observing the phenomenon is safe – so observers do not need to fork out for a pair of specialist protective glasses.
On Sunday, the total eclipse of the moon was visible all over the world. However, it was most impressive in Asia and the Middle East.
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