Did you blink ? There was a total eclipse of the moon on Saturday - but it was an unusually short one . The lunar event - where Earth 's shadow completely blocks the moon - lasted only five minutes , making it the shortest eclipse of the century , NASA said . The so-called 'blood moon ' could be seen by billions of people across the western U.S. , Canada and Australia . Scroll down for video . Blood moon : Skygazers in the western U.S. , Canada , Australia and New Zealand were treated to a total eclipse of the moon before dawn on Saturday ( pictured over New Zealand ) The eclipse is the third in a series of four blood moons , with the final one expected on September 28 . The next one will be visible from Europe . The best spot this morning was at the Mississippi River , where spectators caught the entire five minutes of the orb around 5am PT , astronomers said . Sky-gazers in the Midwest and East Coast only caught part of the lunar show . The eclipse could also be seen in its entirety on Saturday night from eastern Australia , New Zealand and Japan . But observatory staff in Sydney were unable to see the eclipse due to cloudy weather and instead wrote on Twitter : 'Our live feed from the Griffith Observatory [ in America ] is showing gorgeous totality pink ! ' Do n't blink ! The moon may have shone red for three hours but it was only visible to citizens for five minutes ( pictured over New Zealand ) On the west coast of North America , the total eclipse — what astronomers call totality — began shortly before 5am PT . They accompanied their tweet with a picture of a bright pink moon . 'Blood moon ' refers to its orange or red appearance , which is the result of sunlight scattering off Earth 's atmosphere . Whether the moon appears dark red , copper , bronze or another shade depends on several factors including the amount of volcanic ash in the atmosphere . Unlike more lengthy eclipses , the moon in this case only skimmed the upper part of Earth 's shadow . Normally , the moon passes through the middle of the shadow , making the eclipse lasts longer . Sydney Observatory astronomer Andrew Smith said before the event : 'Some sources indicate it will be around 10 minutes of totality , which will make it the shortest since 1917 , but other sources say it will be less than five minutes which makes it the shortest since 1592 . ' 'Blood moon ' refers to its orange or red appearance — the result of sunlight scattering off Earth 's atmosphere , seen here in Santa Barbara . Unlike solar eclipses which require eye protection , you only need clear skies to view this lunar eclipse ( pictured over Santa Barbara ) Whether the moon appears dark red , copper or bronze depends on several factors including the amount of volcanic ash in the atmosphere . As well as California , the eclipse could also be seen in its entirety on Saturday night from eastern Australia , New Zealand and Japan . The total lunar eclipse is observed above cherry blossoms in Shiraishi city , Miyagi district , northeastern Japan on Saturday . Geoff Chester of the U.S . Naval Observatory in Washington added that it was the changes in colour that makes lunar eclipses so interesting . The full eclipse of the moon in September will be visible across the U.S. and Canada , as well as western Europe and Africa . 'Totality ' will last around an hour and 20 minutes . But those who missed out in Australia will have to wait until January 31 , 2018 , for the next lunar eclipse . Unlike solar eclipses which require eye protection , you only need clear skies to view a lunar eclipse . A pair of binoculars or backyard telescope will enhance your view , but are not necessary . Japanese sky-gazers caught the moon when it was still white and out of the Earth 's shadow . It is the third of four consecutive lunar eclipses separated by six months - a tetrad - which is very rare . Atmospheric : The sky ( pictured in Japan ) burned a deep red as the gleaming orange light shone through the clouds . In New York , where the sun was rising , the sky glared orange from the reflection of the sun 's rays from the moon . The full moon is seen over the Santa Monica Mountains in Topanga , California , shortly before it turns red during the lunar eclipse . The moon is seen behind downtown high-rise buildings during the shortest total lunar eclipse of the century before dawn . Sky-gazers will have a better chance of catching the next full lunar eclipse on September 28 , that will last over an hour .
The moon skimmed across the Earth 's shadow on Saturday , reflecting the red glare of the sun . It was the shortest lunar eclipse this century , with 'totality ' only visible for less than five minutes .