This story was updated at 4:58 p.m. ET.
The longest total lunar eclipse in 11 years occured Wednesday (June 15), turning the moon a dusky blood red that is amazing skywatchers around the world. See some of the first photos from the event here.
The lunar eclipse began at 1:24 p.m. EDT (1724 GMT) and will last until 7 p.m. EDT (2300 GMT). The eclipse's peak occured at 4:12 p.m. EDT (2012 GMT). At its best, the eclipse promised 100 minutes of totality, making it the longest total lunar eclipse since July 2000.
"Awesome! We have a perfect view from our neighborhood in Jerusalem, Israel," skywatchers Cecile and Roberta Cohen told SPACE.com in an email. "We started seeing it at 9 p.m. At 10:20 (give or take a minute) the moon was totally eclipsed. We came indoors shortly thereafter because it's cool out, but we can see the moon from our window. Awesome; just awesome!" [Photos: The Long Total Lunar Eclipse of June 2011]
Here are some more photos of today's total lunar eclipse, which is visible from every continent expect North America, according to skywatching experts:
A screenshot of the skywatching website Slooh, which broadcast the June 15, 2011 total lunar eclipse live via the Internet for free in partnership with the Internet company Google.
A screenshot of the Google homepage on June 15, 2011, which incorporated a live view of the total lunar eclipse into the company's logo doodle.
Skywatcher Derek Keats of Johannesburg, South Africa snapped this photo of the total lunar eclipse of June 15, 2011 at 20:44 (local time) with a Canon EOS 50D camera.
The total lunar eclipse of June 15, 2011 nears totality over Johannesburg, South Africa, in this photo snapped by skywatcher Derek Keats.
The total lunar eclipse of June 15, 2011 nears totality over Johannesburg, South Africa, in this photo snapped by skywatcher Derek Keats.
Skywatcher and photographer David Paleino snapped this view of the total lunar eclipse of June 15, 2011 from Italy using a Fujifilm FinePix S2000HD camera.
Skywatcher and photographer David Paleino snapped this view of the total lunar eclipse of June 15, 2011 from Italy using a Fujifilm FinePix S2000HD camera.
Visit this page periodically for more images of today's total lunar eclipse, the first of two lunar eclipses in 2011. The next total lunar eclipse this year will occur on Dec. 10. That event should be visible from the western United States and Canada.
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