Alaskans had the chance to send off the old year and welcome the new one with more than the usual fireworks in the sky. The final day of 2009 not only featured a "blue moon," but the chance to see a partial lunar eclipse.
The partial eclipse was most visible in the Anchorage area around moonset between 9:52 and 10:52 this morning, according to Louise Fode, a forecaster with the National Weather Service.
A partial lunar eclipse occurs when the moon is partially darkened by the Earth's shadow. A blue moon is when a second full moon occurs in a month. This will be the first time in nearly 20 years there's been a blue moon for New Year's Eve, and it won't happen again until 2028.
By DEBRA McKINNEY
dmckinney@adn.com