Moon's big show, but Earth stays put

The rare sighting of the "blood moon" or "supermoon" by millions of people yesterday morning did not turn out to be the end of the world after all.
The phenomenon, which last occurred in 1982, is when the full moon is in close proximity to the Earth - a so-called supermoon - and is combined with an eclipse of the moon.

This creates a reddish glow around the moon.

Prior to the sighting some religious leaders claimed the phenomenon would herald the beginning of the apocalypse.

According to the UK Daily Mail, a Christian pastor had previously warned that this celestial event - the fourth lunar eclipse in two years - could mark the start of terrible events worldwide.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints issued a statement distancing itself from the prediction made by a Mormon author linking the rare astrological event to an apocalypse.

"The writings and speculations of individual church members should be considered as personal accounts or positions that do not reflect church doctrine," it said.

"The church encourages our members to be spiritually and physically prepared for life's ups and downs.

"For many decades church leaders have counselled members that, where possible, they should gradually build a supply of food, water and financial resources to ensure they are self-reliant during disasters and the normal hardships that are part of life, including illness, injury or unemployment," read the statement.

Matt Hilton, a senior lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal's astrophysics and cosmology research unit, said the myth that the astrological event would herald the end of the world was "nonsense".

"It was just the moon moving into the Earth's shadow. It's when the sun, moon and Earth are aligned.

"It has nothing to do with blood or natural disasters. That's just superstition," said Hilton.