Total lunar eclipse and Mars. Alignment of Mars (right) and the Moon (left) during a total lunar eclipse, with the Earth moving between the Sun and the Moon. The orange colour of the Moon (sunlight reflected from the Moon after passing through the Earth's atmosphere) is due to shorter wavelengths, such as blue light, being scattered more in Earth's atmosphere than longer wavelengths, such as red light. This eclipse took around 4 hours, with totality lasting for 1 hour and 43 minutes. Mars was in opposition relative to the Sun and Earth, and was making its closest approach to the Earth in 15 years. Photographed on 27 July 2018, from Namibia.