Photo/Illutration The partial eclipse begins as the full moon starts to enter Earth's shadow at 1:27 a.m. on Sept. 8 (top left); the moon with a quarter of its upper part eclipsed at 1:40 a.m. (bottom left); the moon more than halfway eclipsed at 2:05 a.m. (top right); and the full moon turning a reddish-copper color as the total lunar eclipse begins at 2:30 a.m. (bottom right). All images were taken in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward. (Hikaru Uchida)

For the first time in nearly three years, a total lunar eclipse was visible across Japan in the early hours of Sept. 8.

In the rare phenomenon, early risers saw the full moon completely hidden in Earth’s shadow, transforming into a glowing copper-red orb in the sky.

The eclipse began as the moon gradually dimmed while moving in the southwestern sky, with totality starting around 2:30 a.m. and lasting for approximately an hour and a half.

Skywatchers from Hokkaido to Okinawa Prefecture reported clear views of the dramatic color change.

This was the first total lunar eclipse visible from Japan since November 2022. The next one won’t be seen in the country until March 3, 2026.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth and moon align perfectly, causing the Earth to block direct sunlight from reaching the moon.

While the moon is in Earth’s shadow and should appear dark, it instead takes on a reddish hue due to sunlight filtering through Earth's atmosphere—the same reason sunsets appear red.

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