The moon put on a rare show for many parts of the world Wednesday, as the first total lunar eclipse in more than two years coincided with a supermoon.

The eclipse began Wednesday at 1:46 a.m. Pacific Time, with the moon entering the darkest part of Earth's shadow at 2:45 a.m., according to NASA. Part of the moon remained in the umbra until 5:53 a.m.

The blazing orange moon dazzled as it hung over the skies of the Pacific as well as the western half of North America, parts of South America and eastern Asia. The reddish-orange color of the super "blood" moon results from all the sunrises and sunsets in Earth's atmosphere projected onto the surface of the eclipsed moon.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes completely through Earth's dark shadow, or umbra. During this type of eclipse, the moon will gradually get darker, taking on a rusty or blood-red color. The color is so striking that lunar eclipses are sometimes called Blood Moons.

(With input from AP, Xinhua)