- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Phoenix and help keep the future of New Times free.
You can put away the fake fangs and I (heart) Edward T-shirts -- we're talking astronomy, not the latest vampire fantasy installment.
Tonight (and tomorrow morning, depending on your time zone) marks Winter Solstice and the year's second lunar eclipse. It's the year's second lunar eclipse and the first total lunar eclipse to take place at the same time as Winter Solstice in almost 400 years.
Check out when it's visible in Phoenix after the jump ...
In case you didn't make one of those foam ball mobiles in elementary school, a lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, earth and moon are aligned exactly, so that the earth (in the middle) blocks the sun's rays from the moon.
Winter Solstice, or the first day of winter, occurs when the earth's axial tilt is the farthest from the sun. It's also associated with cultural festivals and rituals.
While there are 12 total phases of tonight's eclipse, the beginning of the total eclipse is expected to start around 12:40 a.m. (Tuesday) and last until 1:30 a.m.. Because of the way the moon passes through the two shadows of the earth, it will appear glowing orange-red, and unlike a solar eclipse, tonight's lunar eclipse is safe to view with the naked eye.
Keep Phoenix New Times Free... Since we started Phoenix New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Phoenix with no paywalls.