A lunar eclipse steals the show in a colorful sky | Space photo of the day for July 18, 2025

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The sky's orange and green glows cast a "tie-dye" effect around the moon's outline.

Two domed observatories sit underneath a green and orange night sky where a lunar eclipse shines down
(Image credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/P. Horálek (Institute of Physics in Opava))

In March, observers in Chile were treated to an especially spectacular sight, as the night sky lit up with orange and green hues. To top it off, the moon was in a full lunar eclipse.

What is it?

Where is it?

Both telescopes are located 310 miles (500 km) north of Santiago, Chile, at an altitude of 7,200 feet (2,200 meters).

The two telescopes were treated to a lunar eclipse in the night sky. (Image credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/P. Horálek (Institute of Physics in Opava))

Why is it amazing?

Lunar eclipses are captivating to watch, as Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, casting its shadow onto the surface of the moon. This only happens when the Earth, sun and moon are all perfectly aligned. According to NOIRLab, this alignment period was used by ancient astronomers as early as 600 BCE and called a "saros." The time between saros periods is around 18 years, 11 days, and 8 hours.

To get the full detail of a lunar eclipse, it helps to have binoculars or a telescope. Astrophotographers looking to upgrade their stargazing gear to capture lunar eclipses, should read our guide to the best cameras for capturing the night sky in 2025.

Want to learn more?

You can read more about lunar eclipses and the telescopes in Chile as researchers continue to study our night skies.

Kenna Hughes-Castleberry
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry

Kenna Hughes-Castleberry is the Content Manager at Space.com. Formerly, she was the Science Communicator at JILA, a physics research institute. Kenna is also a freelance science journalist. Her beats include quantum technology, AI, animal intelligence, corvids, and cephalopods.

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