© Joel Goodman - 07973 332324 . 23/07/2013 . Manchester , UK . A blood red moon low over the skyline of Manchester , as seen tonight (23rd July 2013 ) with Manchester's iconic Beetham Tower in the foreground . The phenomenon can be caused by dust and pollution in the atmosphere and is most notable when the moon is low on the horizon as its light passes through a larger amount of atmosphere , which scatters blue light more than red . Biblical mythology makes several references to a red moon including , from Joel 2:31 , " The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes" . Photo credit : Joel Goodman