Full Lunar Eclipse Brings Rare ‘Super Blood Moon’

A full moon rises above the iconic Haghia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, early Monday, May 16, 2022. (AP)
A full moon rises above the iconic Haghia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, early Monday, May 16, 2022. (AP)
TT

Full Lunar Eclipse Brings Rare ‘Super Blood Moon’

A full moon rises above the iconic Haghia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, early Monday, May 16, 2022. (AP)
A full moon rises above the iconic Haghia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, early Monday, May 16, 2022. (AP)

One of our planet's most stunning sights came to the skies - a super blood Moon, reported BBC.

In the year's only full lunar eclipse, Earth came between the Sun and the Moon.

Falling fully into Earth's shadow, the Moon slowly darkened before turning dusky red.

It was visible with the naked eye before dawn on Monday in most of Europe. The Americas got a great view on Sunday evening.

The Moon appeared larger than usual because it was at its closest point to Earth of its orbit, giving it the name super Moon.

It was also called a super flower blood Moon. In the Northern Hemisphere, a full moon in May is often called a flower Moon because it coincides with the Spring flowers.

The only sunlight reaching the Moon during the full eclipse passed through the Earth's atmosphere.

This light was blood red, from all Earth's sunrises and sunsets reflected on to the Moon's surface, explains Dr. Gregory Brown, astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London.

"You'll actually be seeing every sunrise and every sunset occurring around the Earth at once. All that light will be projected on to the Moon," he told BBC News before the eclipse.

On Monday, western parts of Europe got a good but short view as the Moon sets during the eclipse. Between 02:30 and 04:30 BST, people saw the moon falling into shadow before glowing red; it was visible in Africa too.

In the UK, watching from a high vantage point like a hill or tall building was essential because of the Moon's very low position in the sky.

The UK got a better view of the earlier part of the eclipse, Dr. Brown explained.



World War II Sergeant Whose Plane Was Shot Down over Germany Honored with Reburial in California

This 1944 photo provided by Honoring Our Fallen shows WWII veteran US Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald V. Banta from Los Angeles. Banta, 21, was killed in action in early 1944 when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany. On Thursday, July 25, 2024 community members lined the roads to honor Banta as he was brought from Ontario International Airport in southern California to a burial home. (Honoring Our Fallen via AP)
This 1944 photo provided by Honoring Our Fallen shows WWII veteran US Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald V. Banta from Los Angeles. Banta, 21, was killed in action in early 1944 when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany. On Thursday, July 25, 2024 community members lined the roads to honor Banta as he was brought from Ontario International Airport in southern California to a burial home. (Honoring Our Fallen via AP)
TT

World War II Sergeant Whose Plane Was Shot Down over Germany Honored with Reburial in California

This 1944 photo provided by Honoring Our Fallen shows WWII veteran US Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald V. Banta from Los Angeles. Banta, 21, was killed in action in early 1944 when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany. On Thursday, July 25, 2024 community members lined the roads to honor Banta as he was brought from Ontario International Airport in southern California to a burial home. (Honoring Our Fallen via AP)
This 1944 photo provided by Honoring Our Fallen shows WWII veteran US Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald V. Banta from Los Angeles. Banta, 21, was killed in action in early 1944 when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany. On Thursday, July 25, 2024 community members lined the roads to honor Banta as he was brought from Ontario International Airport in southern California to a burial home. (Honoring Our Fallen via AP)

After 80 years, a World War II sergeant killed in Germany has returned home to California.

On Thursday, community members lined the roads to honor US Army Air Force Tech. Sgt. Donald V. Banta as he was brought from Ontario International Airport to a burial home in Riverside, California, The AP reported.

Banta, 21, was killed in action in early 1944 when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Gotha, Germany, according to Honoring Our Fallen, an organization that provides support to families of fallen military and first responders.

One of the surviving crewmembers saw the plane was on fire, then fell in a steep dive before exploding on the ground. After the crash, German troops buried the remains of one soldier at a local cemetery, while the other six crewmembers, including Banta, were unaccounted for.

Banta was married and had four sisters and a brother. He joined the military because of his older brother Floyd Jack Banta, who searched for Donald Banta his whole life but passed away before he was found.

Donald Banta's niece was present at the planeside honors ceremony at the Ontario airport coordinated by Honoring Our Fallen.

The remains from the plane crash were initially recovered in 1952, but they could not be identified at the time and were buried in Belgium. Banta was accounted for Sept. 26, 2023, following efforts by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency within the US Department of Defense and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System.