Fact: Darkest night in 500 years was in 2010, not now! But rejoice! Tomorrow is longest night of this year!

There is no question that tonight will be a long dark night for many of us! Each year the nights continue to get longer and longer until the winter solstice (which for the Northern Hemisphere falls tomorrow – Wednesday, December 21).

When is the longest night of 2016?
The bittersweet news then for the many of us who love the night is that tonight is one of the last to enjoy a nice long one, for tomorrow (December 21) will be the shortest day and longest night of the year.  Nice if you want to sleep in, and a particularly nice night for werewolves!

But is tonight the longest darkest night in 500 years?
Fact Check! No! It is not! For some reason this is a rumor that has been spreading like wildfire throughout the internet, claiming that tonight is a solstice lunar eclipse – in other words, a lunar eclipse that occurs on the longest night of the year.  That event actually happened in 2010 (not this year).