In the early morning of December 21st, a rare winter solstice lunar eclipse took place. Check out some amazing video footage of the eclipse.
Last night brought a special gift for skywatchers: a full lunar eclipse. This event occurs approximately once a year, when the Earth is located directly between the moon and sun. The Earth’s shadow casts over the moon, making it gradually disappear, and then it glows red from the rays of indirect sunlight. Learn more about lunar eclipses in this fascinating collection of resources from NASA.
This particular lunar eclipse occurred on the December 21st winter solstice, which is the shortest day of the year, so the moon was higher in the sky than normal. As a result, it was viewable through most of the Western hemisphere, though weather conditions blocked views in some locations. If you weren’t able to see it, or if you just went to bed a little too early, here are some remarkable videos capturing the eclipse from different regions of the world.