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A partial lunar eclipse treated many parts of the globe to a copper-coloured moon on Monday.

The eclipse was visible from Asia to Europe, sometimes appearing red in colour as the Sun's rays shined on its surface.

The phenomenon happens when Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon - casting the Earth's shadow on the Moon and obscuring it in darkness.

When only a small part of the Moon is obscured, the remaining rays of Sun can light it up a bright red-orange - the same refraction effect that makes a sunset look red.

It comes just weeks before a total eclipse of the Sun on 21 August, which is set to cross the United States. This will be the first time a total eclipse is viewable from the US mainland since 1979.

The shadow of the so-called "great American eclipse" will pass right across the mainland, from one coast to the other.

How much of the Sun is covered during the eclipse depends on your location - some viewers will get the full effect, while others further from the "path of totality" will see only a partial eclipse.

But that path of totality stretches from South Carolina to Oregon - the first time in 99 years that one has crossed the entire contiguous US.

Photos via Reuters, EPA, AFP, Getty