A number of people travelled to The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service in Reykjavik this morning to observe the lunar eclipse. The Seltjarnarnes Amateur Astronomical Society (Stjornuskodunarfelag Seltjarnarness) set up camp outside the building, providing the public with a professional telescope for better viewing.
The total eclipse, when the moon is entirely inside Earth’s shadow, began at 7:40 am and finished around 8:54 am. Conditions in the capital region were perfect with little to no cloud cover, allowing for full visibility of the whole event.
Iceland was one of the few countries in Europe that could observe the total eclipse. The best viewing conditions were in North and Central America, parts of northern Europe and East Asia.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth and Moon are aligned exactly so the Earth blocks the sun’s rays from the moon.
This was the first total lunar eclipse in three years.