A partial lunar eclipse took place in September 2006 and was visible in Bulgaria. Such an eclipse occurs when a portion of the moon passes through the Earth's umbral shadow. File photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency)
Bulgarians were treated to a rare phenomenon on Saturday night when a total lunar eclipse took place, one of only two to be visible from the country in 2007.
The full eclipse, which coincided with Bulgaria's national holiday, was visible to the naked eye from all parts of the country.
The Sun, the Earth and the Moon lined up to create the celestial event. It was visible beginning at 11.30 pm local time. The whole surface of the moon was in the Earth's shadow an hour and twenty minutes after midnight on March 4 and by 3.11 am the Moon had left the penumbral shadow.
The eclipse was at least partly visible from Asia to the Americas, but people in Europe, Africa and the Middle East had the best view of a spectacular, albeit without a scientific value event.