June 15th was a special day for the sky watchers as they watched the longest lunar eclipse in 11 years. The amazing stellar event extended to a total of 100 minutes as the moon passed into Earth's shadow, though the eclipse's actual progression took hours. Only four total lunar eclipses including this one, have lasted 100 minutes or longer till now.
The moon took a red hue as it was slowly eclipsed by the shadow of earth. The orange colour was caused by the indirect sunlight that could still pass through Earth's atmosphere and cast a glow on the moon. It was visible in most parts of the world including eastern Africa, the Middle East, central Asia and western Australia. However, European skywatchers missed the initial part of the eclipse, because the moon was below the local horizon when the event began. A rare celestial event, the total lunar eclipse was indeed a treat for the human eyes.