Lunar eclipse

Last night we were treated to the double delight of a total lunar eclipse on the longest night of the year. And when I say “we” I mean “you lucky lot over in the US”, who got to see the full event in darkness and, at least in some places, clear skies.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes behind the Earth, so that it falls in the Earth’s shadow. So even with a total eclipse the Moon doesn’t go entirely dark, like the Sun does with a solar eclipse, it simply looks a little brownish. That doesn’t sound exciting – but it’s actually quite impressive and other-worldly to see.

So luckily lots of talented photographers snapped away at the Moon last night, and here are some nice pictures I found among thousands posted to Flickr today.

[Update 21/12: Of course Australians also got to see some of the eclipse. Amanda has some nice pictures on her blog of the partially eclipsed Moon.]

[Update 27/12: Added the amazing video by William Castleman Featured on Gawker. Hat-tip to Niruj for the link.]

Fade to Black - Flickr user lacomj

Flickr user davedehetre (Kansas, US)

Flickr user spinmoss1

Flickr user tophermartini

Flickr user TexasEagle, Texas (US)

Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse from William Castleman on Vimeo.