Stargazers watch blood red ‘Supermoon’ over the Kelpies

The eerie light created from a lunar eclipse with the moon near to its closest point to the Earth delighted amateur astronomers and photographers, while filling others with dread.

Some religious groups and believers in astrology were convinced it is a sign that the End of Days is approaching.

The spectacle began to unfold from 1.10am in the UK, with the ‘total’ phase - when the moon is completely in shadow - lasting from 3.11am to 4.24am. It was to go on until the moon emerged from the Earth’s shadow at 6.24am.

When the moon is at perigee, its shortest distance from the Earth, it is 226,000 miles away and appears 14 per cent larger and 30 per cent brighter than when it is at its furthermost point.

The last time this coincided with a lunar eclipse, when the moon is covered by the Earth’s shadow, was in 1982 and the event will not be repeated until 2033.

During a lunar eclipse, the moon turns a deep rusty red, due to sunlight being scattered by the Earth’s atmosphere.

Through the ages, so-called ‘blood moons’ have been viewed as ill omens by superstitious people.

Anyone staying up to see the red moon was in for a “quite an unusual sight”, according to Society for Popular Astronomy vice president Robin Scagell.

Dozens of amateur photographers posted their best efforts on social media, although those taking pictures on their phones were mostly disappointed.

Unlike with a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse is completely safe to observe through binoculars or a small telescope.