Winter Solstice Delivers Lunar Eclipse

The winter solstice delivered an early Christmas present for stargazers: a full lunar eclipse.

Most of the United States, where skies were clear, got a view of the full moon late Monday and early Tuesday, as it turned from silver to glowing red.

A full lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth is directly between the sun and moon. The Earth's shadow prevents the moon from catching any of the sun's rays, and the moon glows red with only indirect sunlight, refracted off the Earth's edges.

It takes more than three hours for the Earth's shadow to pass over the moon. That's much slower than a solar eclipse, which typically lasts a few minutes. And unlike solar eclipses, lunar ones are safe to view with the naked eye.

Full lunar eclipses occur about once a year, with partial ones happening more frequently. But this one was rare because it landed on the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, when the moon is high in the sky. The last time that happened was Dec. 21, 1638. And the next time will be Dec. 21, 2094, U.S. Naval Observatory spokesman Geoff Chester told The Associated Press.

The eclipse was visible across much of North and Central America, but because of a huge snowstorm over central Europe and also the time difference, only parts of Europe and Asia got to witness it. Parts of California had heavy rain, which also prevented some sky-watchers there from seeing it.

Meanwhile, winter solstice celebrations are being held across the globe today, marking the shortest day of the year.

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Lunar Eclipse

The Earth's shadow progresses across the moon during a lunar eclipse seen from Dallas on Tuesday. A total lunar eclipse hasn't occurred on the winter solstice in 372 years.

Lunar Eclipse

Three hikers watch the almost full moon rise behind the Weissfluhjoch in Arosa, Switzerland, on Monday.

Lunar Eclipse

The Earth's shadow is cast over the surface of the moon as the eclipse proceeds though its partial phase in the sky over a cloudy and foggy San Antonio on Tuesday.

Lunar Eclipse

A series of photos taken over an hour show the full moon as it is shadowed by the Earth over Overland Park, Kan. Most of the U.S. got a clear view of the event.

Lunar Eclipse

During the eclipse, the Earth aligned between the full moon and the sun, covering the lunar surface in shadow. This picture was taken in New York.

Lunar Eclipse

This combination of pictures shows the moon in various stages of a total lunar eclipse as seen from Mexico City.

Lunar Eclipse

In Ireland, people gathered at the 5,000-year-old ruins in Newgrange, believed to be the remnants of a prehistoric burial chamber. Archaeologists believe it's the older cousin of Stonehenge -- 500 years older than some of Egypt's pyramids. After sunrise on the winter solstice, Newgrange's inner chamber floods with sunlight -- a phenomenon discovered by archaeologist Michael O'Kelly on this day in 1967.

"Suddenly this shaft of light came into the chamber and hit the back wall," his daughter Helen Watanabe O'Kelly told the BBC. "I remember being quietly moved -- it was like someone was speaking to you from thousands of years before. I still see it like a picture before my inner eye -- it was a golden light."

Other communities hold Yule log ceremonies today.

In Prescott, Ariz., The Daily Courier says residents are holding a drumming circle to celebrate the longest night of the year, and the point at which the days begin to get longer.