The new year's first solar eclipse
The first solar eclipse of 2011 came two weeks after the total lunar eclipse that fell on the same day as the winter solstice -- a rare cosmic event that hadn't occurred in centuries.
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Dec. 21, 2010
The total lunar eclipse is seen above the Washington Monument. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth blocks the sun's rays from the face of the moon. The moon is then fully in the shadow cast in space by the Earth.
Katherine Frey / The Washington Post
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