Total lunar eclipse [Photo by Yoon Gwan-sik]

"It's exam season, but I came to see the Blood Moon."

Around 1 AM on the 8th, at the total lunar eclipse viewing event site at the Bohyeonsan Space Science Center in Yeongcheon, Gyeongbuk Province.

Late at night, about 70 citizens gathered on the dark lawn to observe the total lunar eclipse, the first in three years.

Despite the light clouds that spread across the sky in Yeongcheon due to rain that fell until the afternoon, the white full moon shone brightly.

Jo Hyeon-min, an official at the Bohyeonsan Space Science Center, said, "Many people came early on a Monday morning. We were considering canceling the event because the weather forecast was bad and we thought observation would be difficult, but miraculously, it seems we will be able to observe the total lunar eclipse."

The citizens eagerly awaited the total lunar eclipse, listening attentively to the explanations from the space science center staff.

Citizens observing a total lunar eclipse [Photo by Yoon Gwan-sik]

Around 1:26 AM, as the Earth's shadow began to cover the moon, the gaze of the citizens simultaneously turned to the sky.

As a corner of the moon slowly turned black, the citizens began to appreciate the celestial show, pointing at the sky with their fingers.

Eventually, the moon was completely hidden by the Earth's shadow, and the phenomenon of the moon appearing red, known as a 'Blood Moon', was observed.

Exclamations such as "The moon is red," "It's so amazing," and "The stars are so visible" erupted from various parts of the venue, with youthful voices.

Im Su-jeong (14), who observed the total lunar eclipse with her teacher, shared her thoughts, "It's exam season, but I came to see the Blood Moon. I was more satisfied than I expected because it was so amazing."

Shin Sun-ho (40), who came with his family, said, "My son insisted that I wake him up because it's a special day as a total lunar eclipse is being observed for the first time in three years, so I woke him up around midnight and came."

Shin Ju-seung (10) said, "At first, I wondered why the red moon wasn't appearing, but it was amazing to see it gradually disappear and then turn red."

Citizens observing a total lunar eclipse [Photo by Yoon Gwan-sik]

According to the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, a partial lunar eclipse, where a portion of the moon is obscured, began at 1:26:48 AM.

A lunar eclipse is a phenomenon in which the moon is obscured by the Earth's shadow when the Earth is positioned between the moon and the sun.

The total lunar eclipse, where the moon is completely within the Earth's umbra, began at 2:30:24 AM, reached its maximum at 3:11:48 AM, and ended at 3:53:12 AM.

Afterward, the bright part of the moon began to reappear, and the entire process of the lunar eclipse concluded at 5:56:36 AM.

The next total lunar eclipse will be in six months, on March 3, 2026, when the moon will be rising in Korea during the latter part of the eclipse.

The next total lunar eclipse that can be fully observed in Korea will be approximately three years later, on the dawn of January 1, 2029.

Blood Moon [Photo by Yoon Gwan-sik]

Yonhap News