Moon Occults Bright Mars Tonight: Rare Celestial Event

Tonight, witness a rare lunar occultation where the full "Wolf Moon" obscures bright Mars, a stunning event visible across much of North America!

For those living in the specified occultation zones, tonight presents a unique opportunity to witness an extraordinary astronomical event, provided the weather conditions are favorable.

On January 13, shortly after the moon passed through the Pleiades star cluster, it will obscure Mars, which is currently shining at its brightest for the year 2025.

Occultations, where the moon temporarily covers a bright planet, are uncommon occurrences for Mars, with such events happening in various locations on Earth roughly once every 14 years.

Viewing Conditions

As the moon reaches its fulness during this event, the January full moon, commonly known as the “Wolf Moon,” will reach its complete phase at 5:27 PM EST (22:27 GMT).

At this same moment, Mars will be positioned opposite the sun, although its formal opposition will take place a couple of days later on January 15.

This alignment provides an excellent viewing opportunity for people across much of North America, enabling them to see the moon occulting Mars.

Optimal Equipment for Observation

The visibility stretch for this event covers nearly all of the contiguous United States as well as significant areas of central and eastern Canada.

As Mars approaches opposition, it will shine at a notable magnitude of -1.3, nearly rivaling the brightness of the star Sirius.

However, the moon’s brightness will vastly surpass that of Mars, with the moon being approximately 40,000 times more luminous.

Consequently, to effectively witness the moments when Mars fades into and out of view, a telescope or high-quality binoculars will be essential.

Those interested in capturing this event through photography should refer to guides on astrophotography techniques suitable for photographing both the moon and planets during this type of lunar occultation.

Watching the Event

In the hours leading up to the occultation, Mars will remain distinctly visible to the naked eye, glowing brightly near the full moon that signifies the onset of winter’s first full moon.

Unlike stars that twinkle and disappear suddenly, Mars presents as a discernible disk through telescopes.

Given its relatively large size of 14.6 arc seconds in diameter, the process of Mars being obscured will unfold more gradually.

In many locations, the transition of Mars disappearing behind the moon can take from approximately 30 seconds to over a minute.

For example, people observing from Washington D.C. will notice Mars being gradually covered by the moon’s edge over about 30 seconds, followed by a similarly gradual reappearance.

Looking ahead, the next opportunity for North Americans to experience a favorable occultation of Mars will be on February 5, 2042.

On that occasion, the moon will be in a waning gibbous phase, occurring just four hours after being full, with Mars reaching opposition the following day.

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Study Details:

  • Title: Occultation of Mars by the Full Wolf Moon on January 13, 2025
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