Early risers in North America were able to catch a glimpse of the ultra rare “blood moon” — a total lunar eclipse that lasted for nearly five minutes, the shortest this century.

It was the third blood moon of four in this series, which happened when the moon was completely engulfed in Earth’s shadow at around 8 a.m. Eastern Time, according to a CNN report.

The moon turned a burnt-orange to reddish color, which is why it is often referred to as the blood moon and was a source of superstition in ancient cultures.

People all across North America were able to see the blood moon, although those in the eastern half of North America saw only a partial eclipse. It was visible from the West Coast to Australia, as well as parts of South America, India, China, and Russia. Those in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Greenland and Iceland weren’t able to see the eclipse.

A lunar eclipse happens when the moon, Earth, and sun form a perfect line in space, causing the Earth’s shadow to completely cover the moon. As the sun dips into the Earth’s shadow, it starts to turn dark and into a reddish color, because the Earth’s atmosphere is filtering out blue light.

Lunar eclipses take place twice per year, but this is the third in a series of eclipses that are known as a tetrad, the first of which occurred on April 15, 2014, and the second on October 23. The final eclipse in the series will happen September 28.

Explorer Christopher Columbus famously used a blood moon to trick the natives into helping him. In 1504, Columbus wanted to get the natives of Jamaica to continue providing provisions for him and his starving men, and he successfully predicted a lunar eclipse using a German astronomer’s writings. Before the eclipse, Columbus told the natives that if they did not help him, his god would provide a sign of his displeasure by making the moon appear “inflamed with wrath,” which caused “great howling and lamentation” among the natives when it came true.