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The Blood Moon total lunar eclipse is seen above Austin, Texas on Friday, March 14. Photo: Rick Kern/Getty Images
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Stargazers across the United States and beyond eagerly turned their gaze to the night sky before dawn, captivated by the mesmerizing "blood worm moon" that illuminated the darkness.
This breathtaking phenomenon was the result of a total lunar eclipse, a spectacular alignment of the sun, Earth, and moon. As the moon journeyed through Earth's shadow, it was bathed in sunlight, creating a stunning deep red hue that left onlookers in awe.
The name "blood worm moon" is inspired by its striking crimson color, with the "worm moon" portion tracing back to Indigenous tribes who recognized the appearance of beetle larvae around this time as the weather began to warm, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac.
This overnight transformation was visible across every state in the U.S. and throughout many regions of the Western Hemisphere. The celestial event kicked off at 11:57 p.m. EDT on Thursday and concluded at 6 a.m. EDT on Friday, with the total eclipse peaking at 2:26 a.m. EDT and lasting just over an hour, as detailed by NASA. What a remarkable opportunity to witness such an extraordinary event!
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A full moon, also known as the "Blood Moon," is seen during a partial eclipse in the sky over Lake George near the Australian capital city of Canberra on Friday.
Izhar Khan/AFP via Getty Images
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A blood moon total lunar eclipse occurs in Columbus, Ohio on Friday. Totality for the eclipse lasted just over an hour and could be seen throughout most of North and South America.
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY Network/Reuters
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People view the full moon as a section moves into shadow during a lunar eclipse, before dawn on Friday, at Stonehenge stone circle, near Amesbury, southern Britain.
Toby Melville/Reuters
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The full Blood Worm Moon is seen during a total lunar eclipse on March 14 in Merritt Island, Florida. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
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A partial lunar eclipse is seen above the fronds of a palm tree during the Blood Moon lunar eclipse in Palm Springs, California, on March 13. Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
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The moon is seen as the umbral eclipse begins during the Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse above Los Angeles, California. Photo: Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
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The full Moon rises over Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras on March 13. Photo: Orlando Sierra/AFP via Getty Images
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The Full Worm Moon rises behind the U.S. Capitol dome at dusk on March 13 in Washington, DC. Photo: J. David Ake/Getty Images
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A lunar eclipse is visible above Canary Wharf in London as the full moon passes into Earth's shadow.
Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images
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The setting moon is pictured over the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi on Friday during Islam's holy fasting month of Ramadan.
Fadel Senna/AFP via Getty Images
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