WANA (Sep 07)  – On Sunday night, September 7, 2025, Iran’s sky became the stage for what many called the “spectacle of the century” the longest total lunar eclipse of the 21st century. Before the eyes of millions, the familiar silver disk of the Moon slowly shifted to a glowing copper and finally to a fiery red. Unlike most celestial events, this one required no special equipment and no distant travel—just a view from rooftops, streets, and city parks.

 

The eclipse began at 7:57 p.m., and at its peak, around 9:01 p.m., the Moon was fully immersed in Earth’s shadow. Its red glow was the result of sunlight passing through Earth’s atmosphere, where shorter blue wavelengths were filtered out—just as they are at sunrise and sunset—leaving the reddish hues to bathe the lunar surface. The spectacle lasted until 11:27 p.m., after which the Moon slowly returned to its usual brightness.

A “Blood Moon” is seen ahead of a total lunar eclipse in Tehran, Iran, September 7, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)

What made this eclipse even more remarkable was its coincidence with the Moon’s closest orbital point to Earth. This made the Moon appear slightly larger in the night sky and its crimson tones even more intense. Together, these factors created one of the longest and most striking “blood moons” of our era.

 

The experience was not just scientific, but cultural and social as well. Families gathered in courtyards, young people met in parks and on city hills, and amateur and professional photographers alike joined in an unspoken contest to capture the best shot. In Tehran and other major cities—where artificial lights often obscure the stars—the red Moon briefly drew everyone’s gaze upward. Social media was flooded with photos and videos that reflected this collective excitement.

People gather to watch the “Blood Moon” total lunar eclipse in Tehran, Iran, September 7, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)

The allure of this night wasn’t limited to science; the human experience was equally striking. On Tehran’s “Nature Bridge,” families and young people had gathered. Some were observing the moon through telescopes, while others captured images and videos of the “Blood Moon.”

 

Fatemeh Abedi, a Tehran resident, said, “In general, astronomical phenomena are fascinating for everyone, and lunar eclipses are especially captivating because you can see them with the naked eye.” She added, “You can’t really classify this event as good or bad; it’s a natural phenomenon, like rain or sunlight—a routine occurrence for Earth.”

People gather to watch the “Blood Moon” total lunar eclipse in Tehran, Iran, September 7, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)

Alireza Kheirkhah, a teenager in charge of the telescopes, explained, “From my perspective and that of the scientific community, the Blood Moon is a completely natural and fascinating phenomenon that we can enjoy, with no reason to worry about it being bad.”

 

Tanaz Dinparvar, another resident, described her experience: “Seeing the moon outside of Earth feels very special.” She added, “There have been old beliefs about this phenomenon bringing luck or misfortune, but today, with the progress of science, we understand that it’s just the Earth’s shadow falling on the moon, and it’s up to us how we interpret it.”

 

The event echoed humanity’s age-old fascination with the sky: from ancient beliefs that a blood moon signaled great change, to modern science that treats it as a chance to study Earth’s atmosphere and the Moon’s orbital dynamics. Astronomers noted that about 5.8 billion people around the world had the opportunity to witness this eclipse—a staggering figure that underscores the sky as humanity’s last truly shared heritage.

 

The blood moon of September 7 was not just an astronomical phenomenon, but a collective experience: a night where science and imagination, reality and poetry, converged in a single crimson frame.

A “Blood Moon” is seen ahead of a total lunar eclipse in Tehran, Iran, September 7, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)