WASHINGTON DC, 12/21/10: A Lunar eclipse is seen behind Statute of Freedom on top of the dome of the United States Capitol on the day of winter solstice (first day of winter for the Northern Hemisphere), December 21, 2010, in Washington DC. The last time a lunar eclipse happened on a solstice was 372 years ago, in 1638, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory. The bronze Statue of Freedom by Thomas Crawford is the crowning feature of the dome of the United States Capitol. The statue is a classical female figure of Freedom wearing flowing draperies. Her right hand rests upon the hilt of a sheathed sword; her left holds a laurel wreath of victory and the shield of the United States with thirteen stripes. Her helmet is encircled by stars and features a crest composed of an eagle's head, feathers, and talons, a reference to the costume of Native Americans. A brooch inscribed "U.S." secures her fringed robes. She stands on a cast-iron globe encircled with the words E Pluribus Unum, the national motto at the time of her placement atop the dome. The bronze statue stands 19 feet 6 inches tall and weighs approximately 15, 000 pounds. Her crest rises 288 feet above the east front plaza. Photo by Logan Mock-Bunting
