Yesterday, December 21st, was the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, and the start of winter. Also, for the first time since 1638, a total lunar eclipse took place on the same day as the solstice, observable by people across the Americas and parts of Asia. During a lunar eclipse, the Moon travels briefly through the shadow of the Earth, and appears to dim and become a dark reddish color. The coloration is due to sunlight filtering through the Earth's atmosphere - the same conditions that create red sunsets - so an observer standing on the Moon during a lunar eclipse would look up and see the dark Earth surrounded by a red ring, a sunset around the globe. Collected here are images of the eclipse, the solstice, and some of the icy weather as winter officially begins.
Three snowshoe hikers watch the almost full moon rising behind the Weissfluhjoch mountain in Arosa, Switzerland, on Monday, Dec. 20, 2010. (AP Photo/Keystone, Alessandro Della Bella)
The Winter Solstice lunar eclipse, seen from Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories on December 21st, 2010 while the Earth's shadow completely covered the moon. Original here.
A swan tries to break free of the ice on the frozen lake at the Fairburn Ings Bird Sanctuary near Castleford, England on Tuesday Dec. 21, 2010, as the deep freeze in the Britain continues. (AP Photo/John Giles-pa)
Frost clings to spiderwebs and the statue of Lord Alfred Tennyson as freezing fog surrounds the tower of Lincoln Cathedral as plummeting temperatures continue to grip the UK on December 20, 2010 in Lincoln, United Kingdom. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
The sun sets behind the Hanois Lighthouse near the Island of Guernsey off the coast of Normandy, France on the winter solstice, 2010. Original here.
An aerial view of the Tuscan city of Florence, Italy, a day after an unusual heavy snow fall on Dec. 18, 2010. From left, Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, also known as the Duomo, Orsanmichele Church, the Palazzo Vecchio city hall. (AP Photo/Claudio Scaccini)
Sky-gazers take in the view from Chugach State Park near Anchorage, Alaska during the lunar eclipse on Monday, Dec. 20, 2010. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Marc Lester)
The shadow of the Earth is seen on the Moon during a total lunar eclipse seen from Shanghai, China on December 21, 2010. (REUTERS/Aly Song)
The moon on its way to being totally eclipsed is seen with the Chrysler Building in the foreground in New York City on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2010. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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