One thing about Monday night's rare lunar eclipse: skywatchers had to crane their necks higher than usual to catch a glimpse of the celestial showcase.

While lunar eclipses can be relatively common occurrences, Monday night's eclipse coincided with the winter solstice, the longest night of the year when the moon sits highest in the sky.

"That is a coincidence that hasn't happened for almost 400 years," amateur astronomer Dan Falk told CTV News late Monday night as he waited for the eclipse to being. "And it won't happen again until almost 100 years from now."

Falk, a science journalist with a love for space, set up a telescope in his back yard in Toronto to catch the show, watching as the moon turned from bright silver into a red disk shortly after midnight on Tuesday.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth falls directly between the sun and the moon, blocking the sun's rays from reaching the moon directly. Light being refracted off of the Earth's atmosphere instead turns the moon a crimson red as it slips into darkness.

"If we were on the moon right now we would be seeing the sun disappearing behind the Earth, but from here on the Earth we are seeing what almost looks like a bit being taken out of the full moon," Falk said.

The spectacle lasted 3 ½ hours, with the moon being totally immersed for 72 minutes, and was visible from North and Central America.

It was the year's only lunar eclipse, although Falk said they usually happen a couple of times a year.

The last time one happened on the winter solstice was on Dec. 21, 1638. The next solstice spectacle is scheduled to happen on Dec. 21, 2094, according to U.S. Naval Observatory spokesman Geoff Chester.

Unlike solar eclipses, space fans are able to watch a lunar eclipse without worrying about doing damage to their eyes. Falk said it is a great chance to see space in a whole new way, as long as you are willing to stand in the cold.

"I just like seeing the solar system in action. People might think that the sun and the moon and the stars just sit there. I guess to some extent they do, but on a night like this during an eclipse you really see things changing almost minute by minute," Falk said.

"It is a chance to see it in a more dynamic situation. To use a metaphor from the theatre, it is really quite a dramatic production going on up there in the sky. You don't have to do anything and there is no admission charge."

With files from The Associated Press