Total Eclipse of the Moon

A partial lunar eclipse seen from a field near Petersdorf (Oder-Spree), Brandenburg, Germany, at 07:32 CET on 21 December 2010. Photo by EPA/BGNES

A rare total lunar eclipse could be observed Tuesday around the world, the BBC reported.

The eclipse began 7:41am GMT on Tuesday and could be best viewed from North and Central America, parts of northern Europe and East Asia.

This is the first total lunar eclipse in three years and the first to coincide wit the Winter Solstice in nearly 400 years.

Lunar eclipses occur only when the Sun, Earth and Moon are aligned exactly or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. The Moon, which is normally illuminated by the Sun, passes through the shadow created by the Earth blocking the Sun's light.

The indirect sunlight can pierce through and give the Moon a dramatic shade of red.

The phase when the Moon is entirely inside the Earth's shadow lasted a little over an hour.

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