A Very Special Lunar Eclipse

Belizean stargazers had a cool, clear night sky to see the lunar eclipse very early this morning.

Our camera was perched on a high roof on Dean street to capture the moon as it slowly slipped into shadow. The partial eclipse started at about 12:30 am and we followed it until it went into total eclipse at 1:40 am.

The eclipse is caused when the earth passes between the sun and the moon. That alignment blocks the sun's rays from the face of the moon. The moon is then fully covered by the Earth's shadow.

This one was special because it coincided with the winter solstice for the first time in centuries.

The next fully visible lunar eclipse visible over the Americas will not occur until April 2014.