Tonight a rare combination of events takes place: a solstice, when Earth reaches its maximum tilt (in reference to the sun), and a total eclipse of the moon, when the moon turns dark red as it crosses Earth’s shadow, visible in most of the northern hemisphere and in countries near the Pacific Ocean.
Tonight’s solstice is the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, and the solstice is occurring at night over the Atlantic Ocean, providing the longest night possible in Europe and North America. With the long night, there is especially wide visibility for the lunar eclipse.
