A RARE lunar eclipse spotted in the Basingstoke sky has been captured by one resident who woke up early to snap the image.

The lunar eclipse, also named a 'blood moon, was spotted by a keen photographer in Rooksdown at around 5.31am on Friday, March 14.

The astronomical event is created when the moon moves into Earth’s shadow, gradually darkening before turning red.

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Lunar eclipse (Credit: Johniel Jagonap)A lunar eclipse happens when Earth moves directly between the Sun and the Moon, blocking sunlight and casting a shadow on the Moon's surface.

The eclipse was partial for most of the UK, with the Earth's shadow only covering part of the Moon.

The rare event last happened in 2022 when the moon was completely red due to a total lunar eclipse. 

Scientists predict the phenomenon will not happen again until around 2048.

Johniel Jagonap snapped an image of the full moon last night, at 11.24pm from his home in Rooksdown, before waking up early this morning to capture the image of the lunar eclipse.

Johniel says he was able to capture the striking photos by using a Celestron Telescope Poweseeker 60 and a Google Pixel 7 Pro camera.