ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaskans lucky enough to be beneath clear skies were able to witness a rare lunar eclipse Monday night. It was a full lunar eclipse -- there was a partial eclipse about a year ago.
The Earth's shadow cast a ghostly color on the moon as the sun, Earth and moon all lined up. The eclipse started at about 9:30 p.m. and was at its height by 10:40 p.m.
In a lunar eclipse, there is no direct sunlight hitting the moon's surface, but rather light that's filtered through the Earth's atmosphere, turning the moon shades of orange and red.
Monday's lunar eclipse coincided with the winter solstice, meaning the moon appeared high in the sky.
The entire show lasted about three and a half hours.
The parking lot at the Glen Alps trailhead was full of stargazers and photographers with cameras of all sizes. Some howled at the moon or listened to music as the Earth's shadow took over, while others watched in silence. The flicker of headlamps farther up in the hills and on Flattop shone down, giving evidence of more adventurous eclipse-seekers.
