Thaindian News

By Ranjan Bhaduri
Dec 22, (THAINDIAN NEWS) The full lunar eclipse which took place yesterday was seen from some parts of the world while the enthusiasm and excitement of the residents of some other countries were marred by cloudy sky and inclement weather. The star gazers were even more excited by the fact that this was the lunar eclipse coinciding with the winter solstice which is considered to be a rare celestial phenomenon. NASA published the number of countries where the lunar eclipse can be seen without problem. However, as it turned out the residents of Iceland were the most fortunate in this respect. The residents of Reykjavik saw the moon turning dark red on Tuesday early morning and the astronomers prediction proved to be true.

The Amateur Astronomical Society of Reykjavik, the biggest city and capital of Iceland, saw a handful of crowd braving the fierce cold to get a glimpse of the eclipsed moon. The Amateur Astronomical Society had set up a telescope for the viewing. Some of the people who had gathered there saw the eclipse for the very first time and they were overwhelmed. Saevar Helgi Bragason the astronomical society chairman said that a full lunar eclipse clashing with winter solstice is something people may not get to see in their lifetime. The society invited the passers by to have a look at the moon through the telescope and many of them grabbed the offer.

The society chairman said “It was of course breathtakingly beautiful and we must say it was successful. I believe more than 200 people showed up”. The photos of the eclipse are now available on web.