Channel Islanders capture 'blood worm moon' from picture to paint during partial solar eclipse

From top left going clockwise: Donna Binet, Ian Corbin, Tony Rive, Rosanne Guille
A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth passes between the sun and moon, causing a dark shadow across the moon's surface. Credit: From top left going clockwise: Donna Binet, Ian Corbin, Tony Rive, Rosanne Guille

Stargazers in the Channel Islands were up at the crack of dawn to capture the 'blood moon' partial eclipse.

Despite some cloudy weather and hail, Jersey and Guernsey residents were able to snap - and paint - some striking images of the first lunar eclipse since May 2022.

Eager to capture the moment, some reported getting up as early as 4am on Friday (14 March) with the partial eclipse appearing the clearest between 5am and 6:30am before it disappeared behind the clouds.

The 'blood moon' nickname comes as the lunar eclipse creates a cosmic red hue.

Dr Malcolm Fairbairn, a Kings College London physics professor, told ITV News: "If the Earth is completely in the way of the sun, the only light which gets through to light up the moon is the light scattered by Earth's atmosphere.

"The moon isn't completely dark because of this, but the majority of that scattered light which gets through is red, so the moon takes on a reddish tinge."

March's full moon is also called a 'worm moon', thought to originate from the activity of earthworms coming out of the ground as the soil warms.

Pictures from islanders who managed to catch more than a glimpse of the partial eclipse:

Rosanne was at Port Soif in Guernsey at 4am to capture the partial eclipse with a 'plein air' painting. Credit: Rosanne Guille / @rosanne_guille_art
Ian snapped the astronomical event step-by-step between 5:00am and 6:30am off the west coast of Guernsey. Credit: Ian Corbin
Donna caught some detailed shots of the partial eclipse at 5:28am in St Mary’s - in between hail showers and some "never ending clouds". Credit: Donna Binet
Stefano in Jersey was also up early in the morning to capture the different faces of the partial eclipse. Credit: Stefano Ricci
Danielle said she was glad the clouds cleared to give her a glimpse of the partial eclipse in Jersey. Credit: Danielle Schenk
Guernsey's Steve Molnar managed to capture all the phases of the partial eclipse. Credit: Steve Molnar
This shot from Tony was taken from the top of Vale Castle and shows the partial eclipse was still visible at around 6am. Credit: Tony Rive

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