Clouds drifted in and out of the D.C. area before dawn Friday, offering enough open sky for photographers around the region to capture views of the total lunar eclipse. The spectacle began at 11:57 p.

When sunlight passes through Earth's atmosphere, blue light scatters more easily while red light travels more directly through the air. During a lunar eclipse, some of the sunlight passes all the way through the Earth's atmosphere and reaches the moon's surface, giving it a subtle glow.

The first total lunar eclipse in more than two years lit up the sky last night as humanity, forever fascinated with the Earth’s only natural satellite, watched.