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Once in a red moon

Lunar eclipse makes memorable solstice (Photos below)
Lunar eclipse(AP photo)
AP photo
A series of photos taken over an hour long period show the full moon as it is shadowed by the Earth as a total lunar eclipse marks the arrival of the winter solstice Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Skygazers with a clear view in North America and Europe were greeted with a celestial treat early Tuesday, as a unique total lunar eclipse turned the Moon pink, coppery or even a blood red.
Click on the thumbnails below for more incredible images of the lunar eclipse.
Coinciding eerily with the northern hemisphere's mid-winter solstice -- for the first time in almost four centuries -- the eclipse showed the Sun, the Earth and its satellite as they directly aligned, with the Moon swinging into the cone of shadow cast by its mother planet.
Despite being in shadow, the Moon did not become invisible, as there was still residual light deflected towards it by our atmosphere.
Most of this refracted light is in the red part of the spectrum and as a result the Moon, seen from Earth, turned a reddish, coppery or orange hue, sometimes even brownish.

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