[WATCH] Stargazers witness longest 'blood moon' this century

Watch NASA's footage of the event here:

Maltese stargazers were last night able to join millions around the world to feast their eyes on the longest 'blood moon' of the 21st century, with a lunar eclipse which lasted a whopping 103 minutes. 

The partial phase of the eclipse started at 8.24pm, with its totality — when the moon is fully covered by the umbra — being reached at 9.30pm. The entire event lasted nearly four hours, with the maximum eclipse lasting for one hour, 42 minutes, and 57 seconds.

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The planet Mars was also be visible with the naked eye, as it came the closest it has ever been to Earth in 15 years.

To mark this spectacle the Institute for Space Science & Astronomy (ISSA) teamed up with the Astronomical Society of Malta, the Department of Physics, Esplora Interactive Science Centre, and Heritage Malta to organise a special event at Valletta’s Fort St Elmo this Friday.

Earlier: how to watch the eclipse 

If you're choosing to watch the eclipse outdoors, all you need is clear skies. 

Unlike a total solar eclipse, where it is dangerous to look at the sun, the moon never gets bright enough to cause a danger to your eyes, so you don’t need to wear special filters or protective glasses to view a lunar eclipse. 

If you happen to have binoculars or a telescope, you can use them to range across the crates of the moon. 

All you need to do is grab a blanket, some friends, and watch the longest lunar eclipse of our time!