Moon eclipse total

Millions of people in Europe, Africa and Asia have been able to view the first total eclipse of the moon in the new millennium.

It took about two hours for the shadow of the Earth to cover the entirety of the Moon.

In some areas the darkening caused the colour of the Moon to appear to change from silvery white to blood red; elsewhere the Moon seemed to disappear from sight.

Some of the best views of the three-hour eclipse were had by pilots flying above the Earth's cloud cover.

Hundreds of people calling themselves witches gathered across Europe to ward off any disaster the lunar eclipse might bring.

In the West African state of Niger, Muslims were called to pray for a quick end to the eclipse.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service