SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Skygazers in Yellowknife witnessed a rare astronomical event early Tuesday morning.

For the first time since 1638, a total lunar eclipse coincided with the winter solstice.

"It was an outstanding celestial performance," said James Pugsley, president of Astronomy North. "The exciting part about this one was North America was exposed to every stage of this eclipse and from Yellowknife we had a great vantage point."

Starting at the around 11:30 p.m. on Monday, the moon began to be engulfed by Earth's shadow until the moon turned a deep red on Tuesday at around 12:30 a.m.

Even though the sky was clear the original forecast called for clouds.

Not wanting to miss the eclipse, Stephen Bedingfield, a Yellowknife resident and member of the Canadian Astronomy Society, decided to drive to Hay River where the forecast was for clear skies.

"I decided to make a run for it yesterday when I checked (the weather) at about 11 a.m. in the morning I said, 'that's it, for sure I'm going to Hay River, it's only five hours down," said Bedingfield.

Despite the drive he said the trip was worth it to see the total eclipse.

"Oh yes for sure, I probably wouldn't have gone down for a partial eclipse," he said.

Elder Muriel Betsina watched the event with her whole family in Ndilo.

In Dene tradition, singing a special song during a lunar eclipse will bring good luck. Betsina couldn't recall the legend but said she felt something during the event

"It was very special," said Betsina. "I was humming something, it hit my heart."

Professional photographer Dave Brosha went on the Dettah ice road to take pictures. He said the ice road was packed with vehicles.

"It was the craziest I've ever seen the ice road," said Brosha. "There must of have been hundreds of people."

Brosha is no stranger to shooting the sky. In September he won first runner-up in the Earth and Space category for the 2010 Astronomy Photographer of the Year, a prestigious photography competition staged annually by England's Royal Observatory in Greenwich.

Despite the rare occurrence of the event, Brosha said the eclipse was somewhat anticlimactic.

"It was a slow build," said Brosha. "But I'm glad I went, it's pretty rare and to go out and to capture it was cool."

The next total lunar eclipse taking place on the winter solstice will be on 2094.

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